August Newsletter

     I hope everybody is enjoying the summer so far. July flew by, I hope August sticks around for a while, I don’t look forward to the next two seasons. Did anybody make out to The Fringe Festival? I had three shows that I was trying to make an effort to see and only made it to two of them. Luckily, they brought the third one back for a limited engagement. Now, if only I can find some time over the weekend…

     One of the shows, Liminal State, introduced me to something really cool. It’s a dance form called Butoh and is performed in the moment.  It originates from post-war Japan. There are no real fixed positions or choreography, it’s sort of like improv for dancers. If you get the chance to see it sometime, you should definitely check it out.

     After all of the traveling I did the previous two months, it feels like I’ve been sitting still. The fact that I’ve been staying home and editing my movie hasn’t helped much. I feel like some steps forward have been made but we still have a bit to go. My personal mission is tracking down music for this thing. I’ve been inspired by a lot of movies lately (we’ll get to them soon).  It’s the most fun I’ve had at work in a while!

     Well, there’s only so much I can say about staying home and sitting in front of a computer, so I’ll just start in on my recommendations. First up are a few things you may want to add to your summer reading list-

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler- Philip Marlowe made his debut in this novel. He is hired by a wealthy man in his declining years, because his daughter is being blackmailed. Marlowe is asked to make all of the arrangements to make the payment, but he knows that there’s nothing to stop them from dragging out more money, so he’s on the trail to find a blackmailer while trying to avoid the daughter and a host of other problems that seem to keep landing in his lap.

     If you get the chance, track down the audio book. It’s read by Elliott Gould so it kind of feels like it’s an extension of The Long Goodbye, except when he starts talking about the ‘40’s instead of the ‘70’s. I haven’t had a chance to see if he narrated the other books in the series since I just ran across this one at the library. It’d be cool if he did.

Nothing To Lose by Lee Child- Jack Reacher is back and this time he’s stuck between Hope and Despair…Colorado, that is. On his way across the country, he winds up in Hope, Colorado. It’s a nice, friendly small town. Not a lot goes on there and folks keep mostly to themselves. Just down the road, to the west, is the town of Despair. A tight lipped community that doesn’t like outsiders. When Reacher gets tossed out of town on vagrancy charges just for ordering a cup of coffee at the local café, he starts to take an interest in what goes on there. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far, you’ll like this one.

Death Of A Citizen by Donald Hamilton- Matt Helm gets drawn back into a web of intrigue after a fifteen year retirement. His former partner enlists his help when a local scientist becomes the target of kidnappers. This is the first book in the series and it’s completely different from the Dean Martin movies. One of the interesting things about this book is the feel of it. It was written in 1960. World War II had only been over for 15 years, Korea was only in the periphery, Kennedy was still alive, Viet Nam had not happened yet and landing on the moon was still the subject of science fiction writers. There is a very un-cynical way of viewing world politics. Sure, The Commies are untrustworthy, but if you’re an American, well, you’re okay, Joe. Check it out if you can find it. The series has been out of print for a while so you have to dig through libraries or used book stores or maybe online.

George Lucas-A Life by Brian Jay Jones- If you are a fan of George Lucas, read this book. If, like me, you stopped being a fan around the turn of the century, read this book. Whether you love him or hate him, you’ll definitely walk away from this book with a new respect for the man. This is not a Lucas-is-great-and-you’re-foolish-for-not-seeing-it kind of biography. Nor is it a Lucas-is-the-son-of-the-devil-and-defiled-your-childhood hate piece. Jones covers all of the angles and just presents the facts. If you’re a filmmaker, I’d definitely recommend this. There are some tips that I’m planning on using with my production company. Lucas is a no bullshit kind of guy. He started Lucasfilm Ltd. as a way of getting out from under the Hollywood studio system. Sometimes his ideas took off and other times they bit him in the ass. Read this for yourself and form your own opinions of the man.

Memoirs Of A Mangy Lover by Groucho Marx- This is a collection of essays written by Marx on the opposite sex (well, opposite if you’re a man). Most of them are autobiographical, all of them are pretty entertaining. If you’re a fan I’d definitely recommend this one.

Fletch by Gregory McDonald- I read this at the beginning of the month and had no idea or intention to start reading the first book in so many series. Fletch is an investigative reporter who is working on a story about the local beaches when he finds himself being hired to kill somebody…the guy who’s trying to hire him. Now he has two investigations to pursue and the clock is ticking because he’s supposed to commit the murder later in the week. On top of this pressure, he has his boss riding his ass about a deadline and his two ex-wives attorneys keep hounding his steps everywhere he goes. How will this turn out? Read the book and see. Even if you’ve seen the movie as many times as I have, you’ll still be entertained by this book.

Tom Sawyer, Abroad by Mark Twain- If you’re thinking to yourself, I’ve read most of Mr. Twains works and I don’t recall coming across this one, there’s a reason. It’s not that good. He admitted in his autobiography to writing it for money and it shows. Tom, Huck and Jim find themselves shanghaied on a blimp. They eventually mutiny and gain control of the ship and by this time they are in Europe. There are a few adventures that get discussed but it would have been more interesting to have been a part of them. Instead, it’s just a lot of conversations where Tom plays man of the world with Huck and Jim in the roles of yokels. It’s short, so if you’re a die- hard fan and just want to complete your collection, go ahead and read it, otherwise, there are many other more enjoyable books out there waiting to be discovered, go find them.

     Summer time can be a good time for movies. July was a surprise month theatrically. I almost feel like I’m done going to the theater until September. Read on, it will all be explained.

Atomic Blonde- I saw a preview for this back in April/May and at the end it just said coming soon. As soon as I got home I looked up the release date, marked my calendar and set my sights on the horizon. I’ve seen a lot of good movies by accident, others have surprised me, some looked interesting and turned out to be better than I expected but, this is the first one I’ve seen in a long time that excited me from the word go and kept its promise. It’s a spy story set just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. You’re probably saying to yourself, I’ve seen The Soldier and Other People’s Lives and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, you’re going to tell me that there is a movie that’s as good or better than these? Yes I am. It’s called Atomic Blonde and it will probably be the last movie you see all summer because I haven’t seen a preview for anything  that’s going to outdo this one.

Baby Driver- See this before you see Atomic Blonde. It’s a really cool crime thriller with interesting characters and a good story that deserves to be measured on its own merits. I’ve become a big fan of the soundtrack. It’s one of the few movies I’ve seen in a while that I really want to see again. I thought about seeing it after Atomic Blonde since the schedule lined up with about 10 minutes to spare, but then I walked out of Atomic Blonde…

 The Bandit- CMT made a documentary about a year ago on the making of Smokey And The Bandit. For those of us who don’t have CMT, it is now available on the blu-ray of 40^th Anniversary edition of the movie. The filmmakers do a good job with most of the facts, but they kind of wander off point in the middle of the film. There are interviews with Burt Reynolds and Paul Williams and Hal Needham’s son, along with a few others, but you can’t help but wonder, where’s Sally Field? They also have BTS coverage of Smokey And The Bandit II that starts to make you question if they’re talking about the first movie or the franchise. If you’re a casual fan, check it out. It’s entertaining and informative. Even I picked up a couple of new facts. If you’ve devoured every story since the release and read Needham’s and Reynolds’ autobiographies, you sometimes find yourself saying, they left out the part where Hal said…

Jaws- Speaking of great movies in their 40’s, The Alamo had their annual screening of everybody’s favorite holiday classic. They played it in 35mm and it still looks amazing. I got lucky enough to be seated next to a young woman who was seeing it for the first time. Even after 40 years, when Ben Gardener’s head comes floating out the hole, people still jump. They jump at the other appropriate times as well. After so many viewings over the years, it’s always nice to see it through fresh eyes.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome- For years I thought that this was the weakest link in the Mad Max chain. After Fury Road, I gained a whole new appreciation of this movie. I mostly picked it up because a local production company was doing a staged reading of it and I hadn’t seen the movie in years. It’s not as great as it could have been, given the first two, but it’s still enjoyable. It doesn’t translate to the stage as easily as you’d think it would, but I enjoyed that production as well.

Planet Of The Apes- I picked this up on dvd because it was on sale and because it had two commentary tracks, one by Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, Natalie Trundy and makeup guru John Chambers. The other track is by Jerry Goldsmith. I’ve always hoped they would release something like this one day and it looked like that day had arrived! I haven’t listened to the one by Goldsmith yet but the other one is only a select track and Chambers is the only one who sounds like he’s watching the movie. The others feel like sound bites out of interviews. It was informative, to a degree, especially the actors personal stories, but most of it you’ve already heard before. The movie is still great, but all that glitters definitely ain’t gold.

Spider-Man: Homecoming- It’s refreshing to see a Spider-Man movie that is not an origin story. It does a good job continuing the storyline from Captain America: Civil War, so if you’ve been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you need to see this, there’s a lot that comes into play.

Streets Of Fire- I had not seen this movie in a while and to make matters worse, right as I was feeling the itch to watch it again, a local theater was going to play it on the big screen…on the same night that I had a ticket to see Blondie and Garbage. It wasn’t on the big screen, but I got the best of both worlds that night. I had never seen Blondie live before, so that was cool. Garbage is always a fun show. Even on the small screen, Streets Of Fire is still a great movie. If you haven’t seen it in a while, remedy that.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets- The previews and critics haven’t really done this film justice. Even I was feeling lukewarm about seeing it until I saw a clip from Luc Besson online talking about what a labor of love this had been and how it was based on comic books that he used to read as a kid. It was a slow week for movies so I took a chance and really enjoyed it. Here’s the trick to it- if you look at it like a Saturday afternoon matinee film, it’s a lot of fun. It’s about space cops trying to solve a mystery and the lengths their investigation takes them to. There are narrow escapes from dangerous situations at every turn and you never know who you can trust. If I was 12 years old, I would love this movie. Being slightly north of 12, I can appreciate it for what it was. Also, the visual effects are amazing. ILM really raised the bar on themselves and the industry. If you get the chance to see it theatrically, take it.

     I haven’t forgotten my t.v. watchers. Netflix is releasing The Defenders in August. This is a series where Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist join forces to defeat a common foe. Think of it like The Avengers for the Marvel Television Universe. I had seen Daredevil but needed to catch up on the others, so, if you’re in the same boat, here are some recommendations. I’d also suggest that you watch them in the order that I’ve written them down because, while the main characters never interact, the world around them seems to follow a progressive time line and it can get interesting.

Daredevil-season 1- If you’re a Daredevil fan, you will love this show. The most negative thing I can say about this show is that Charlie Cox is not blonde. The show seems to take on the feel of the Marvel Knights comic series that featured Captain America and The Punisher along with The Man Without Fear. They really seemed to pay attention to the evolution of the character and the costume, even though they jumped over the black and yellow period (spoiler alert). The stunt work is amazing!

Jessica Jones-season 1- I thought it was odd that Marvel would choose this character to make into a series. She’s not exactly a household name. Jones is a private investigator who happens to have super strength. The show hints at her being the subject of a medical experiment but the details are hazy. It’s probably something that will be addressed in season 2. Kristen Ritter does a good job in the role and the episodes are well written. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

Daredevil-season 2- This is the season that introduces The Punisher. It’s an interesting contrast and comparison between Matt  Murdoch and Frank Castle that runs through the whole season. I won’t say too much more except that this season has one of the great moments in television that you should not miss.

Luke Cage- Like everything in the comic book universe, this is not the same Power Man I read as a kid. It’s still interesting to see what they’ve done with the character but if you’re expecting the jive talking soul brother with the furious fists of vengeance, you might want to sit down first. It’s definitely worth your time.

Iron Fist- If you thought they changed Luke Cage, stay seated. This is not the partner of Power Man from those thrilling days of yesteryear. He doesn’t wear a mask and he has his own story. It’s a slow burn that seems to have the writing formula reversed. Where most shows start off with in your face action to get you hooked and then start developing the characters to keep you interested, this show puts all of its character development up front and it’s not until you’re a few episodes in that you realize that this guy is a mystical martial artist. Stick with it, it’s only 13 episodes long and you’ll probably be tested on it in The Defenders.

     That’s all I have for this month. Stay hydrated and we’ll meet up again next time. 

July Newsletter

     Hello again! Here we are in July, about to blow a lot of stuff up in celebration of our Independence… It’s too frustrating to go into our current state of affairs so I’ll just let that hang there and you can fill in your own opinions. It’s like the pick-a-path adventure books from your youth, you’re welcome for that little trip down memory lane.

     In May I went on The Great Southern Tour and then I followed it up last month with a tour of The Western Expansion. It wasn’t cinematically related this time, although I did see a few movies along the way (more on those later). It started off, innocently enough, with three days in Denver, Colorado that turned into one of the outer circles of Hell and then ended in California, where the sun always shines…most of the time…in the afternoon.

     I’d worked all day, came home and took a 90 minute nap, showered and dressed and was on the road by midnight after stopping off at QT for gas and coffee (a traveling essential). I made it to the gig in Denver by Halftime of the first game (morning traffic sucks no matter where you are). KCRW was playing Sac City’s Capital Punishers in the second game. We lost 213 to 109. We would come back the next day and play an opponent yet to be named. In the meantime, I still had five more derby games to sit through without a horse in either race. You always hope that you’ll see that one exciting game, but this was day one and there are very few exciting games on the first day. The teams are just trying to make it to the next bracket and they’re still feeling each other out.

     A little before 10 p.m., I went in search of something that didn’t come out of the concession stand. I was surprised that Denver rolled up its sidewalks so early on a Friday night. I ended up at a Village Inn. I hadn’t been to one in a long time and it was different than the one in KC, more like a Perkins. By the time I got checked into the hotel, wrote and posted my story about the first day, it was midnight. Jack Bauer may save the world in 24 hours but I cover more ground than he does.

     Up at 6, eating at 7, derby by 8. I want to take a quick second to say a few things about Quality Inn. I went with them because they were the cheapest and the closest and they had free internet. Having never been there before, this was the only criteria I had for a hotel. I’ve covered tournaments before and knew that I just needed a place to write, sleep and shower. I wouldn’t even have time to turn on the tv because I’m not going to be there that long. When they advertised “free breakfast”, I was expecting some bagels, little boxes of cereal and unnaturally yellow toaster waffles with a pot of coffee, a carafe of juice and maybe some milk for the cereal. Quality Inn has bagels, toast, yogurt, cheese omelets and make-your-own waffles along with pots of fresh coffee and bottles of juice. I was surprised to find real food for what I was paying. I was thankful there was a Denny’s across the street, just figured I’d take a look at the spread before I headed over there. It was good as well as filling.

     Boulder County and Treasure Valley started the day. KCRW was playing the third game this time. We played Wasatch’s Midnight Terror and they became our nightmare with a final score of 235 to 104. We won the first four games of the season and now we’re choking on the road. Sunday morning we get to fight it out for 10^th place. Four games later and I’m at Chipotle trying to finish my tacos before they lock the doors. Back to the hotel to lather, rinse and repeat as necessary.

     Sunday morning saw KCRW going against Sacred City’s Sacrificers for 10^th place. The first half went well, we were only trailing by 10 points at Halftime and that can be made up in one Jam. Somewhere in the Second Period, it just all fell apart and we came in at number 11. There’s always next season, right?

     I watched the rest of the games and the MVP ceremonies. Now it was time to get ready for phase two, California. I found a hotel close to the airport so I could just get ready and be there. You always hear about “those seedy places by the airport that charge by the hour” but I’ll be damned if I could find one. I just needed a bed for seven hours. If it happened to be hart shaped or filled with water with a mirror over it, I didn’t care. I just needed a mattress and internet for one last story. I would stretch out on a pink bear skin rug (where do they find pink bears?), post the final results and put the tournament behind me. I ended up finding a Motel 6. Mattress-check, internet-check.  I got everything streamlined and airport friendly and went to bed. When I woke up, it felt like Denver would not let me go.

     I woke up 15 minutes before the alarm. The party next door must have wrapped up an hour before. Did the morning routine. When I checked out, there was a delay because they couldn’t tell if I paid or not. Apparently, when you check out at 1 a.m. they get confused. It took two people behind the counter ten minutes and my receipt to show that yes, I did pay when I checked in.

     Stopped at Denny’s next door (there’s always a Denny’s next door). First thing you learn, eat when you can because you never know when you’ll get another chance. It’s a long way to California. The food showed up promptly but the waitress seemed to take a break after dropping off the check. I was contemplating a dine-and-dash on the basis that it was more of a dine-and-get-forgotten when she reappeared. I paid and left.

     There are signs for satellite parking but they don’t really tell you where to go. I followed a sign that said Cell Phone Parking and it led me to a waiting area. I asked the guy working the convenience store about it and he had no idea what satellite parking was. I had to break everything down to its basest form to communicate.

Me: I need long term parking. Is that what this lot is?

Him: Sure, you can park here. There’s a lounge across the parking lot where you can wait. They have all of the flight information there.

Me: Is there a shuttle that comes by to pick me up?

Him: A shuttle?

Me: A bus or some kind of transportation?

Him: No, the buses don’t come out here.

Me: How do I get to the airport?

Him: You’ll turn right, down that street, it’ll take you straight to it.

Me: I need some kind of long term parking lot where I won’t get charged twenty-five bucks a day. Is there anything like that around here? I followed the signs off the highway and they lead here.

Him: There might be something on the other side of the highway, but not around here.

Me: Okay, that’s all I needed to know.

     I try the other side of the highway and eventually find it. I park and wait. The buses do run at 2 a.m., right? One eventually shows up and drops me at the terminal. Now, the games are ready to begin.

     I already have my ticket so I don’t need ticketing. There’s a sign that points to Security Check In. Well, the sign wasn’t entirely wrong, it just didn’t mention that the check in point it refers to was up an escalator and closed so that I had to go to the opposite end of the terminal to find the open one.

     After separating my possessions into three separate tubs, I get dressed and proceed to the train that takes you to the departure terminal. I’m always reminded of Escape From New York where the subway goes from Denver to Atlanta. That was 1997, why hasn’t that happened twenty years later? As I’m waiting for the tram, this guy walks up and is completely lost as to which terminal to go to. I show him how to read his boarding pass and it turns out we’re going to the same terminal. Apparently I am the seasoned traveler now because no sooner do I get that guy straightened out when a woman asks me where she has to go. I don’t even need a boarding pass for this one. I see that the tram is due to arrive in 30 seconds.

Me: Where are you headed?

Her: Salt Lake City.

25 seconds

Me: What airline are you taking?

Her: Delta

20 seconds

Me: What time do you leave?

Her: 6:15

14 seconds

I scan the board under S

Me: Salt Lake City, Delta, flight number 1645 out of gate 74 in Terminal C.

The doors open. “Please watch your step as you enter the tram.”

Me: (to both of them) That’s us.

We board. There’s a map of the train route on the wall.

Me: (to him) We’ll get off at the next stop. (Pointing to the last stop. To her) You’ll get off two stops later.

They both look at the map and thank me.

     As we leave the tram, there are two ways back up to the terminal level. To the left, the up escalator is out of service. Both are working on the right. I see him start for the left side.

Me: You’re not going to get too far that way. We have to go over here.

     We take the escalator up and I get him pointed towards his gate. Detroit is still a long way off, I hope he finds it. My gate is in the opposite direction, all the way at the end. Surprisingly enough, my flight was on time.

     I made it to Dallas and then on to Santa Barbara without difficulty. It was great to see the folks again. My step-dad was showing off his new electric car that does everything but make the morning coffee. It’s surprisingly fast and has an auto-pilot feature. I couldn’t help but think how handy something like that would have been last month. I’ll bet I could have turned 19 hours into 17 and a half. No stopping for gas and then take a quick nap on an open stretch of American highway… maybe for the 45^th anniversary.

     Meanwhile, back in California, I’m surrounded by mountains and an ocean with beaches and everything that the Midwest does not have to offer. I had been cooped up for far too long and desperately needed a change of scenery. First The Rockies and now California, I could get used to this.

     I was out there for ten days and managed to see most of Santa Barbara. I even made it to San Francisco for a couple of days to see my sister. There’s too much to see in SF to try to cram it all in to one day. I need to get up there more often.

     Finally, it came time to leave. My layover was in Phoenix this time. Everything was expensive there. I ended up getting a $2 candy bar to hold me over to Denver. Made it back to Denver. The airport feels a lot different at 4 in the afternoon than it does at 4 in the morning. I retraced my steps and caught the shuttle out to my car. Planes, trains and automobiles all in one day and it wasn’t even Thanksgiving.

     The drive to KC was made interesting by the lightning show that was going on just outside of Manhattan until I reached Topeka when the rain started to come down, and down, and down. Here’s a quick travel tip for those of you who may find yourselves driving in the rain, even though your hazard lights may be on, do not play Pac-Man with the dotted lines on the road. If you feel the need to drive 30 miles an hour with your hazard lights on, pull over to the side of the road and wait for the rain to pass. Those of us born before 1995 learned to drive in foul weather and you’re just getting in the way.

     I made it home before 3 a.m. and just went to bed. Woke up later that day, unpacked and did laundry and made it to Memorial Hall for the game against Nashville. KCRW managed to keep their home record intact and beat The Music City All Stars 211 to 101. It was Xcelerators final game. Our ranking had taken a beating in Denver and if we wanted to maintain what we currently had, we had to beat Nashville with a 2-1 ratio in points. The last 13 points of the game were scored by X. That’s how you retire.

     That was the last game of the season so chances are we won’t go on to any of the tournaments (unless everybody else suddenly starts to suck and we can get over this rectal-cranial disorder that seems to have infected the majority of the team). With so many people retiring, next season is going to be one hell of a building year.

     With my vacation time behind me, I’ve returned to work. My home store is still being remodeled so I’ve been moved to another store. I think I like it more than I like my home store. The customers aren’t as loud and obnoxious.  When we re-open, we’re expected to be even busier…oh joy.

     Did anybody else happen to make it out to see Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert-the musical? It played at The Unicorn. I’m usually opposed to this trend of taking popular films and turning them into Broadway musicals. There is a serious lack of creativity going on in the entertainment industry. It feels like the world is afraid or uninterested in moving forward. Mainstream Hollywood is re-making or coming out with a sequel to anything it can get its hands on, the adult industry just keeps cranking out parodies of tv shows and film franchises, television seems to only be interested in bringing back shows that went off the air for a reason the first time, and Broadway seems to just close its eyes and point to the screen of their Netflix que to see what next season will be and even books are not safe. Instead of just letting a series die with an author, somebody else starts writing them. Why have we stagnated as a society?

     The topic of conversation, before I jumped up on my soap box, was Priscilla. I figured that since it was already mostly a musical, how bad could it be? I wasn’t sure how they were going to get a Winnebago on The Unicorn stage, so that was kind of intriguing. Plus, my friend Laura Jacobs was in it as Mitzi’s wife, so I went and ended up enjoying it. Of course, just like Terrance Stamp, Ron Megee stole the show as Bernadette. I hope you had a chance to make it out.

     Looks like we’ve made it to the what-have-you-been-up-to-lately section of this thing. Here are a few recommendations and warnings for your entertainment needs-

When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops? by George Carlin- Filled partly with new observations on the world around him and partly with some classic material, this book makes for some fun, light reading if you’re a fan.

Death In The Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway- This is a really interesting book if you’ve ever followed a sport like a groupie. This particular book happens to be about bull fighting but I think that even if you’re not into bull fighting you can still appreciate the approach he takes with all of the insight. Definitely worth your time.

Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz- A former reporter has given up hope and all interest in life since his family was killed in a plane crash a year ago. There was no way anybody could have survived…but somebody has come forward claiming they did. Worth your time to follow this mystery.

Mr. Majestyk by Elmore Leonard- A melon farmer is just trying to get his crop in on time to get to the market. Unfortunately, he also has a labor dispute and a mob hitman to deal with. If you want to know more, you’ll have to read the book.

The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain- Originally written as two separate serialized magazine pieces, this volume puts the two together in chronological order. Some of the views of the first man on the first woman are pretty hilarious. You should definitely track this down.

     Like I mentioned earlier, I did see a lot of movies this month. Most of them were good, others, not as much. There were some pleasant surprises as well as a few let downs. As we head into the Summer Movie Season, it’s only going to get worse.

47 Meters Down- I have waited 42 years for somebody to make a decent shark movie. Finally, somebody wised up that it’s not just the situation of peril or the number of sharks but how realistic your shark looks! Steven Spielberg scared the bejeezus out of a generation with a mechanical shark that only worked some of the time. Because, it looked authentic. I’ve seen most of the killer shark movies that have come along through the years and they have all sucked for the most part. Some less than others but none that you want to revisit, except, maybe Jaws 2 when you’re in the mood to lower your standards and have a little guilty pleasure. 47 Meters Down has realistic looking sharks that behave in a realistic manner. The drama comes from the fact that two sisters are at the bottom of the ocean in shark infested water. What do you do to survive?  The sharks have not been whipped into a frenzy by ocean drilling or meteorological circumstances. They are not genetically bred to be overly aggressive. They’re just hungry, and if you happen to be outside the cage, you could be something tasty. The director does a great job of incorporating classic elements of the haunted house genre with darkness and the fear of the unknown as well as camera angles. If you’re looking for a good thrill ride, go see this movie.

About Cherry- I found this on Netflix. It’s basically Devon –Stripped for the internet age. It’s okay, but very cliché ridden. The high point of the film is Heather Graham. If you’re bored, it’s not a total waste of time, but there are better movies out there.

After Midnight- I’ll admit to being intrigued by Fred Olen Ray trying to revisit the “undercover stripper” genre, which has been dormant for a while now. I’ll say this for it, he’s changed the plot device of undercover cop looking for a serial killer to a journalist looking for her sisters killer, that was a little refreshing. I can also say that I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. He managed to get Richard Grieco and Tawny Kitaen for supporting roles. I have a hard time recommending it with a straight face. Personally, nothing will ever top Stripped To Kill.

The Bad Batch- When I saw the preview for this I was intrigued because it didn’t give away too much of the story line and it had an interesting cast of supporting players-Jason Mamoa, Keanu Reeves and Giovani Ribisi. I’m not going to give away the story line because, well, there’s not that much to give away. It will hold your attention and it’s very cinematic but you walk out of the theater kind of wondering, what exactly did I just see? It’s reminiscent of some of your favorite dystopian future sci-fi films, so it is fun, just not a lot of substance.

Beatriz At Dinner- I’m always amazed when make-up artists can turn Selma Hayek into a plain looking wallflower. She plays a holistic healer who is making a house call when her car breaks down. She is now stranded with her clients and his business associates are coming over for dinner. John Lithgow is great, as always, in the role of a billionaire developer who is the root of all things evil in Beatriz’s world. I thought it was just okay, which was a little disappointing because I was looking forward to this. One of my main problems with it are the characters. If you can identify with one of these two factions, then you’re sure to enjoy the movie. I found both sides a little grating.

The Big Short- Set back in the early 2000’s when Fanny and Freddy were playing fast and loose with the housing economy, a small group of people figured out the pattern and found a way to make millions while everybody else was going homeless. It’s a pretty interesting film that is definitely worth your time and should probably be viewed as a double feature with 99 Homes.

The Book Of Henry- Here’s another movie that started off really well, it turned into something that the preview didn’t show you and then just runs out of steam in an anti-climax. Wait for home video on this one.

Churchill- When I saw that Brian Cox was playing Winston Churchill, I was interested from the start. Cox does a great job and the movie holds your attention, it’s just not as great as you were hoping it was going to be. I saw it on June 6^th, so it was holiday appropriate, but if you wait for home video you won’t be missing much.

Escape From New York- This is always a fun one. It recently played at The Alamo Drafthouse on 35mm so, of course, I had to go. If you’ve never seen it on the big screen, keep a vigilant eye on your local theaters, even if it’s just digital video, it’s always better on the big screen.

Maggie- This one came in under the radar when it was released theatrically. I don’t know about where you live, but it played in one theater for a week in KC. That’s kind of amazing considering it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. Abigail Breslin plays the title character and Schwarzenegger is her father. In the not too distant future (next month or next year) there is an epidemic that ravages the land. It’s similar to Rage (27 Days Later) but with less aggression. Maggie is one of the infected and her father just wants to make her final days comfortable on the family farm instead of in a CDC holding facility. It’s pleasantly surprising. Check it out, I found it on Hulu.

Meagan Leavey- The preview leads you to believe that this will be The Hurt Locker meets Ol’ Yeller. I kind of wish it was that movie. It ends up being a Milos Foreman-esque biopic in full Hollywood regalia. It comes in at just under two hours and I wish they had either gone for twenty more minutes or focused more on one aspect of the story instead of lingering on different parts that were interesting but only propelled the character and not the story. Wait for home video.

Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer- Richard Gere does a quality job as the title character who is just trying to make it in the world and be somebody. He gets caught up in a political web when he does a favor for a foreign diplomat who’s on his way to becoming a prime minister. It’s good but a little predictable. Wait for home video.

Paris Can Wait- Diane Lane stars in this road movie that starts off with the wife of a movie producer getting a ride with one of his associates from Cannes to Paris. What should take 6 to 8 hours takes two days. It’s enjoyable. On a related note, for those of you in the KC area who don’t have tickets to the Garbage/Blondie show on the 18^th, The Alamo Drafthouse is playing Streets Of Fire on the big screen. Even if you decide to wait on Paris, you won’t want to miss that.

Wonder Woman- Well, it finally happened, DC put out a good movie and it’s making money. I’ve been south of impressed with their franchise so far, but this makes me want to see The Justice League movie. Something tells me I’ll probably stop after that, but I’m keeping an open mind. The character of Wonder Woman has been rebooted since I was reading her as a kid, but this movie did a good job of introducing me to the character and how she is now. You should go see it if you haven’t already.

Finally, for the t.v. watchers, I have a couple of suggestions you might not have seen yet-

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4-They are finally doing what I always hoped they would with this show, introducing new characters for the cinematic universe. Ghost Rider plays a big role in this season. I’m guessing that, like the rest of my childhood, the character has been rebooted since it’s no longer Johnny Blaze, but Robbie Reyes. All things considered, it was a good season and if you’ve liked it so far, keep watching.

Stranger Things- I’m a little late to the party on this one but I now see what all the huh-bub was about. It’s a total throw-back to the thrilling days of yesteryear when it was just you and your friends and your bikes. Of course, there are monsters and evil scientists and experiments that get loose, so it almost feels like early Dean Koontz, but with a Creepshow element. Check it out if you haven’t already, it’s only 8 episodes long.

     Looks like we’ve reached the end. Be sure to tune in next month as I go back to business as usual at work and hermit myself away to work on The Movie… See you then.  

June Newsletter

     Greetings all! It’s hard to believe we’re half way through this year. Where does the time go? I was asking myself that recently as one of my favorite movies celebrated its 40^th anniversary. Really, it was forty years ago that Smokey and The Bandit was released? Hal Needham made his directorial debut with that film. In the course of those forty years we’ve lost Jackie Gleason, Hal Needham, Jerry Reed and Pat McCormick, but their work will live on. I’ve written about the dream it inspired and how it finally came true at http://therealalexpaxton.blogspot.com , those of you who are interested can click and read. Of course, now that I’ve done what they say can’t be done for Smokey and The Bandit, what am I going to do for the fortieth anniversary of Hooper next year? Smokey and The Bandit evoked a dream but Hooper sparked a passion! Maybe this is the time to do a full body burn or maybe a high fall, better yet, a high fall while on fire! Has anybody ever done that before? I feel like I’ve seen it done but I can’t place where. Oh well, I’ve got some time to figure it out.

     So, we’re almost into the summer reading season, what have you read lately? Here’s what I’ve read for the month, you may want some suggestions-

Bad Luck And Trouble by Lee Child- This is book eleven in the Jack Reacher series. If you’ve enjoyed the series up to this point, then you are going to love this one. Frances Neagley (you might remember her from Without Fail) is getting the unit back together after two of the members wind up missing. Read the book to find out what happens next. It’s definitely worth your time.

Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going and Where The Hell Are My Keys? by Billy Crystal- Crystal talks about his childhood and how he got into comedy and acting, along with how he’s gotten older and how he views life now. If you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy it. If you get the chance, track down the audio book. Crystal reads it and there are parts that they recorded in front of an audience because it felt more like a performance piece than an autobiography. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Bucky F*cking Dent by David Duchovny- Set in the late ‘70’s, this story follows a sons’ struggle to make his father comfortable in the decline of his life. The father is determined to live long enough to see The Yankees get into The World Series. Check it out, it’s pretty good.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby- A rock star who’s been a recluse for the past twenty years seems to have a ripple effect on everybody he comes in contact with after his “new” album is leaked to the internet groupies. It’s light and makes for a pleasant read.

The Mark Of Zorro by Johnston McCulley- Originally serialized in a magazine in 1910, this is the Zorro story that started it all. If you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy it. If you’re sitting there scratching your head trying to figure out who Zorro is, please, read this book and send me an mail letting me know what you thought.

Loitering With Intent-The Apprentice by Peter O’Toole- The second volume of his autobiography mainly focuses on his years at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the start of his acting career. If you enjoyed The Child, then you really should read this one.

But Enough About Me by Burt Reynolds- Like most memoirs by your favorite actors, he goes on about the things you didn’t know just long enough to keep it interesting and then brushes over your favorite movies so that you’re left wanting more. If you’re a fan of Mr. Reynolds (and who isn’t?), then you’ll really like this book. If you’re just interested in a good human interest story, well, there’s something in here for you too.

     I didn’t make it out to too many movies this month, but, with one exception, what I saw was pretty good.

Ambushed- Dolph Lundgren is a federal agent trying to shut down a cocaine ring. Randy Couture is a dirty local cop intent on seeing to it that the drug business continues to do business and Vinnie Jones is the head of the cocaine distribution. All three have been in better movies and done better work. Even Benny Urquidez (stunt coordinator) has done better work. I’ve seen worse but there are better ways to spend 96 minutes.

American Psycho- I am a fan of Bret Easton Ellis and while this may color outside the lines of the book just a little, it is a lot of fun. It’s also one of my favorite Christian Bale roles and he’s always fun to watch. A local theater got a hold of a 35mm print so I was able to get off work early, cancel my reservation at Dorsia and make the late show. It’s still good.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2- Maybe it was that I knew what to expect but I warmed up to this movie faster than the last. I guess you could call it faithful in its adaptation since I never got in to the comic books either. If you enjoyed the first one, check it out, it’s a lot better than the previews make it out to be.

Smokey And The Bandit- To say that I enjoyed this movie would be an understatement. It was really cool to see it with a crowd of enthusiastic fans after 40 years of countless viewings. If you ever get the chance to see this movie, take it!

Last, but not least, I have a couple of things my t.v. watching friends might enjoy.

American Horror Story season 1- Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott play a couple who move across the country with their daughter to make a fresh start of things. Unfortunately, the house they just bought has other plans for them. Jessica Lange does a great job as their neighbor. Watch it if you dare!

The Andy Griffith Show season 1- I was feeling a little nostalgic and looking for a sitcom when this happened into my field of vision. It’s pretty light but makes an entertaining way to spend 26 minutes.

     I guess that about wraps it up. Tune in next month as I’ll tell you about my travels to most points west as well as the usual list of books and movies. See you then.

Smokey and The Bandit and Me

 
      If this were a movie, you'd be watching an opening flashback sequence right now. The year would be 1978 and there would be a young boy sitting on a living room floor in front of his grandparents console television anxiously awaiting ABC's Sunday Night Movie. This particular week it happened to be the broadcast premier of Smokey and The Bandit. Two hours later, the seed would be planted that would take forty years to come to fruition.
     The next day, the scene would pick up where he was at school and found out that his friends had watched the movie as well. Scenes would be reminisced, favorite lines quoted, dreams to one day own a Trans-Am made, as if they needed another reason to appreciate that vehicle. Your bike was no longer a mere two wheeled mode of transportation, it was just a way to get around until you had enough money and a drivers license. People always said that owning The General Lee was impractical because there were no windows, what do you do when it rains? Owning a motorcycle like Evel Knievel wouldn't work either, what happens when you wreck? Remember Caesar's Palace? But a Trans-Am, they sold those at the dealership just down the street. You knew people who owned one. It wasn't impossible.
     The montage would continue through the years. The annual showings on t.v., the invention of video tape and the popularity of cable television, finally the evolution of DVD. After every viewing you'd see the far away look in the eyes of the young boy who grew up. He thought back to those days on the playground, the vicarious journey he'd just taken courtesy of Mr. Hal Needham. He would look at the current state of his life and see that he was too busy to take time off or couldn't afford to take time off or didn't have a mode of transportation that would get him that far. Something always enabled him to come up with an excuse for doing it at another time.
     Last year, the dream came the closest it's ever been to coming true. The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas was playing The Bandit on the big screen. This is a documentary about the making of Smokey and The Bandit that played on Country Music Television. I don't have CMT and neither do any of my friends so this seemed like the perfect opportunity, especially because they were playing three of Hal Needhams' other films. They were billed as "Mystery Films" but if you read between the lines, you had a pretty good idea it was going to be Smokey and The Bandit, probably Part 2, and then either Hooper or Cannonball Run. I planned out and budgeted the whole excursion and presented the plan to my best friend who shared the dream so long ago on the playground. His response-"You're crazy, I'm not doing that. I have to be at work on Monday morning." I had factored that in and had us back easily by 6 a.m. at the latest. Plenty of time to get ready and be at work by 9. I even had him driving the first shift so he could get some sleep before he went to work. Still, the answer stood and there was no moving him. Unfortunately, there was no way I could do this by myself without meth amphetamine so I let it slide by. I even had an idea about renting a theater and a print of the film and inviting all of my friends. It wasn't impossible, just expensive. I decided to give it a couple of years and wait for a landmark anniversary. I figured there would be at least one cool theater in Atlanta that would play it. The movie has always been huge down there.
     Flash forward to February 2017. I start doing an internet search for theaters in Atlanta and then I start to contact them. Getting no response after a few days, I realize I have to get proactive. Go to the Googles and type in theaters in Atlanta playing Smokey and The Bandit. An ad for TCM's Fathom Events screening shows up. Click here, it says. I click. Type in your city to find a theater, it says. I type in Atlanta. A list pops up and I scroll through it. McDonough Stadium 16 shows up in the list. McDonough is technically outside of Atlanta but, there were parts of the movie filmed there and I have a cousin there. It might be easier to talk him into going if he doesn't have to drive that far. McDonough Stadium 16 it is! I now have a theater and a copy of the movie and haven't spent a dime yet. The production budget on this project is getting more manageable with every keystroke. I have a date, time and location. After a couple of text messages, my cousin says he's on board. When will you be in town?, he asks... I won't have a timetable until a couple of days before the movie. Chaos factors make that impossible too far out.
     In movie terms, I have my location, I've established local contacts, the budget is set and the light is blindingly green. Now for the casting. I draw up the plan and present it to my friend. I'm expecting a little apprehension but with two months out, he has time to put in for vacation and explain to his wife that he's just going on a beer run and then seeing a movie, don't wait up. The same day I sent the message, I get a response, "Sure, sounds good." The dream is coming to fruition, everything is falling into place. The Bandit and The Snowman together again, and this time we weren't just pedaling to the mall. In the original time frame, my place of employment was supposed to be closed for remodeling in May so I didn't have to worry about anything. When that schedule got pushed back I ended up just putting in for time off. This has been forty years in the making, I'm not letting their schedule stand in the way.

     Three weeks out and the ripples of potential storms start to roll in. I have a friend who travels some time and always has some really entertaining posts on her facebook page. I was enjoying a series she had written about another car that she happened to be following for several miles when I mentioned that I was taking a road trip would love for her to come along. I didn't expect anything to come of it but then she seemed agreeable to the idea. I asked her for her thoughts on Smokey and The Bandit and after a few minutes she replied that she had to Google it because she hadn't seen it. Suddenly, taking her along felt like a duty. How could somebody go for this long and not have seen this movie? This travesty must be rectified! That's what friends are for, right? Unfortunately, there was a scheduling conflict so now we were back to two. That's okay...but still...wouldn't it be cool to share this with somebody who's never seen the movie? Remember when you saw Jaws  for the hundred and umpteenth time with somebody who hadn't seen it before? You got to rediscover the movie through new eyes. Okay, who do I know who probably hasn't seen the movie and I could be incarcerated in a small car for twenty plus hours with and still remain friends with? That is a mighty short list and they were both busy that weekend, although, one of them did let me borrow her cooler.
     Two weeks to go and there is no Frog. Not a problem. When I brought the trip up to "The Snowman" and mentioned Georgia, we suddenly had a problem. He had somehow missed that part of the message and thought I was talking about a late show at a local theater. He also missed the part about vacation time and got himself scheduled on the day of the movie. I think I might start posting dirty pictures in my messages to get him to scroll through the whole thing. The schedule would be grueling but not as impossible as the Texas run if I left early on Saturday. Besides, I still had a back up plan.
      He didn't have the time in service seeing as how his parents were just barely out of Kindergarten when this plan was conceived, but my Godson has never seen this on the big screen and I think he'd have a good time. Of course, when I ask him, he says he's working. He seems to work eight days a week. It's great to see him working after being without a job for so long but our schedules just don't match up at all any more. Well, the cat's in the cradle with that one...
     I was going on this trip regardless. I had all of the costs covered and the schedule seemed to be loosening up so that I wasn't getting 47 minutes of sleep in two days. Still, somewhere in the back of my mind, I started to entertain some strange ideas. Burt Reynolds went to Universal with the idea to cast Sally Field. They said, "What? Are you crazy? You want to cast The Flying Nun? She's not sexy." Burt replied with, "She's talented, and talent IS sexy." We know how that turned out but that discussion got me thinking about who I could call next. What if I just facebook posted the shit out of this trip like my friend did? She has a better knack for that kind of thing than I do but what if I could get a local public figure? Now my producer side was starting to take over. I know plenty of sexy and talented actresses but, are they available and do they want to spend the weekend being the subject of a series of facebook posts? Let's face it, this is not a career maker. Okay, I should probably just drop it before I end up putting out a casting call. Before the door completely closed on that thought, one name slipped out. She wasn't an actress but she is a local celebrity as well as a sports hero of mine. How surreal would that be, even without the postings, to finally see this thing happen and you look in the seat next to you and see JessiKa Boom? It's like a dream where you're walking down the street and suddenly find yourself on a boat with Wayne Gretzky...wake up before you wreck the car. Just because sometimes the craziest ideas turn out to be the best ideas, I did send Boom a message to see if there was any interest. The worst she can say is no, like everybody else, right? No surprise, she was busy. Looks like it's just me.

     The big day came and I was up early, 4 a.m. Gassed up and loaded the cd player (But Enough About Me by Mr. Burt Reynolds) the night before so all I had to do was stop off at Quik Trip for a cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito and I was heading down the road. I've been to Georgia a lot and Texas a few times but I'd never taken this route that would lead me through Missouri and Arkansas. The Arkansas mountains are really something to see with the mist covering them. I made my first stop for gas and coffee in Arkansas. I think I may have found the last business in America that still takes checks. Next stop would be Texarkana, Texas. It felt so good to be out on the open road.
     In 1977 (well, let's just say before the '80's), Texarkana, Texas was one of the last places that far south you could buy Coors beer because there were no preservatives in it and they didn't have refrigerated trucks back then. Any place East of Texas was just too far to transport beer for safe consumption.
     When Hal Needham was working as the stunt coordinator on Gator, one of his team members brought a couple of cases with them while filming in Georgia. It wasn't anybody's intention to bootleg, they just brought some of their favorite beer with them so they wouldn't have to leave the location and track down a liquor store. Hal noticed that his supply in the motel mini fridge kept dwindling a little at a time. Eventually, he figured out it was the maid. She only took it because it wasn't sold in Georgia. It was this event that gave him the idea to write Smokey and The Bandit.
     There was an E-Z Mart over on the Texas side of Texarkana that sold gas, ice and Coors. One stop shopping! With the tank, the cooler and a coffee cup all filled, I was East bound and down! The first leg of the trip completed in about 9 hours. The next stop would be Birmingham, Alabama to see a buddy from the army.

     I had not eaten since Missouri so a trip through the DQ drive thru on the Arkansas side of town was in order and then I was back on the great American highway after throwing a double cheeseburger down my neck. It didn't take long to get to Louisiana. The scenery is beautiful in that part of the country. Mississippi went by without difficulty. I had never been through it so the chance to see something new was exciting.

 I'd never been to Alabama either. Luckily, there was still enough daylight to see most of it. Shortly after it got dark, I pulled off for some go go juice in a place called Livingston. I think the town may have consisted of only the three gas stations that were just off the highway. The one I went to seemed like something out of a comedy film. It was a truck stop with gas pumps and all the things you're used to seeing. There was a restaurant attached, which is not uncommon, except that this happened to be an Indian restaurant. The thought of getting Tandoori chicken and naan at a truck stop in the middle of Nowhere, Alabama made me chuckle. If  I wasn't on my way to eat with an old friend, I probably would have tried it. But, I had to keep movin' on.
     I sent messages every hundred miles or so to update him on my progress but hardly got a response. These weren't really messages that warranted a response so I just figured he was calculating time and distance and would meet me when I got there. He probably fell asleep because I rolled into town, had The All-Star breakfast at Waffle House, eating slow, and then got a large coffee to go and didn't hear from him. I guess I have to wait for another time.

     My cousin called me around midnight. I know I should be used to the technology by now but every time my phone rings and I'm far from home, somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking, who in the hell knows I'm here? We guesstimated that I had about an hour or so left, not counting the time zone change. He said he'd leave the door unlocked for me. I figured I'd sneak into the house, relax on the couch with a couple of beers and relish in the fact that I did what they say can't be done in a little over 19 hours. Twelve hours later I would be seeing one of my favorite movies on the big screen for the first time and not long after the credits rolled I'd be back on the road, homeward bound.
     The rain varied from a light sprinkle to a heavy downpour and people in Georgia don't seem to function when it's wet. I'm used to slow drivers but these people would randomly brake for no reason or just take their foot off the accelerator. At least brake lights give you a warning. When you're two car lengths behind someone and they suddenly start coming at you as you maintain the same speed, it will wake you up. This happened more than once. One minute they're in front of you and suddenly you have to change lanes and they're now just pinpoints in your rear view. Crazy, man, crazy.
     It was a light rain as I pulled into his driveway. I wasn't expecting him to wait up for me but there he was, in his garage. We hadn't seen each other in ten years. That may be the most time that's ever gone by between visits. We grew up together and after my aunt and uncle moved the family down to Georgia, there were always yearly visits between my mom and my grandparents somebody was always going down there or they'd come up here. It was great to see him after all that time. We hung out on his front porch drinking bootlegged beer and talking about whatever came to mind. By the time we called it a night, I had been up for 24 hours and was ready for bed. He lives out in the middle of nowhere so with that much quiet I just dropped right off.
     Later that morning, he fixed breakfast for everybody (his wife, daughter and my aunt who drove down for the occasion). There was some more catching up and a little leisure time before we had to leave for the theater. His wife and daughter would end up pooping the party and not going but nothing phased me at this point. I had had so many cancellations that this just rolled right off.
     In the summer of 1977, I was visiting Georgia with my mom. I don't recall where my younger cousin and uncle were but our moms wanted to get us out of the house so it was decided we would go see a movie. I had only seen Star Wars once but was willing to go again. That was vetoed. My cousin wanted to see something called Smokey and The Bandit. The movie did not have a national release at that time so being from the mid west, I had no idea what he was talking about. In fact, when it was first released, Universal played it at Radio City Music Hall because the test audiences loved it. Well, those test audiences were clearly not from New York because the movie bombed the first week. Universal was annoyed and ready to write it off when Hal Needham went to them and asked to take it to Georgia. That was where they filmed it, that was where most of the publicity had been, it's where they tested it. New York was the wrong crowd, Georgia would do better. It did and spread out from there. The only other movie to make more money that year was Star Wars.
     His suggestion was vetoed as well since our moms hadn't heard of it either, they were apprehensive. The compromise ended up being Smoky. It's a story about a horse. I remember the movie being okay, nothing great. You'll notice how there were no 40th anniversary screenings of that one. It took us forty years but we were finally here, watching the right movie.
     There are some movies you see on the big screen and it really adds another dimension, like Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. When you see that movie on the big screen, it really comes alive in ways that just don't happen on the small screen. Easy Rider is in a similar vein. It's great to see on the big screen but if you can see it at the drive in, it'll change your life. Smokey and The Bandit doesn't have the aspect ratio of Butch Cassidy or the cinematic flair of Easy Rider but when you can see it on the big screen with a crowd of enthusiastic viewers, you really get that full movie experience. There were no cell phones going off, nobody talking like they were in their own living room, just a theater full of people who want to be there to see what's on the screen. They laugh and cheer in all the right places and it was really just a communal experience. Everybody stuck around through the credits and after when Ben Mankowitz came back on with his closing remarks. They even applauded when it was over.

     After all was said and done, we went back to my cousins house, had lunch and said our goodbyes. My aunt had about an hour drive ahead of her and mine was about 13 hours with another planned stop in Nashville. I left behind a six pack of bootlegged contraband as a parting gift and also a barter payment. This is quite possibly the most expensive movie I've ever seen... but worth every penny.
     The trip home went well. I had David Duchovny (Bucky F***ing Dent) and Nick Hornby (Juliet, Naked) as traveling companions along with some various other cds. The scenery in Tennessee was amazing. I managed to get there before the sun set.
     I was going to meet another friend who migrated to Music City, U.S.A. but he had warned me earlier that he might be working. I sent him updates on my location but never heard back so when I stopped for food and didn't find him, it was no big surprise. He was coming to town in a couple of weeks so we'd just catch up then.
     The drive from St. Louis to KC seems to get longer you're tired. The clock says four hours but it feels like nine. I could barely keep my eyes open as I pulled into my parking lot at 5 a.m. I had to be at work noon so I had just enough time to get a couple of hours of sleep and grab a shower until it was back to reality...until the next adventure.

May Newsletter

Greetings all,
     Welcome to May. Publishing the last one so late really threw off my clock so I hope you didn't think I forgot you. I've been putting in the hours at the grocery store. They say that a man who enjoys what he does never works a day. If that's true then I've been working a lot. I'm between movies so I tend to spend my down time at home. I've had a few ventures to the theater, it's always good to support the arts, it keeps my friends employed and off the streets. I saw Not With A Bang But A Whimper, it's an enjoyable dark comedy about the end of the world. There was also the staged reading of Weird Science. I only got to see the tail end of that because of work but it had the dream cast of Richard Burt, Evan Lovelace, Alice Pollack, Rebecca Ralstin and Curtis Smith. I'm sure I've forgotten a couple of people from the curtain calls but these were the folks I saw and wanted to see more of. I haven't seen Curtis on stage since March and Rebecca's appearance was the best kept secret since she moved out of town last month. Speaking of best kept secrets, I finally got to attend The Burlesque Festival on Friday. This was their seventh and every year past I've been busy, working or just broke. Puss N Boots (Kat Kimmitz) was there! She moved to New York by way of London a few years ago and I had given up hope of ever seeing her perform live again. She is amazing. She's the one who turned me on to the burlesque scene in KC. We met through work and she told me about a show that was going on. Thinking the burlesque scene died off years ago, I went out of morbid curiosity. I'd seen a few acts here and there over the years but nothing all that memorable. The other ladies in her troupe were good, there is a sense of professionalism about them, they're not just exhibitionists who were too overweight to cut it in a strip club. This had class and style. She came out and did a routine to Venus In Furs by Velvet Underground and I've been a fan ever since. She played Frank N. Furter in a Rocky Horror send up one year and stole the show.
     On the sports front, the home season came to a close for The Roller Warriors. Any guesses as to who took home The Cup? If you said The Black Eye Susans, then you would be correct. They played The Dreadnought Dorothys, who only lost one game all season, they just lost the wrong game. The Knock-Outs came in third, beating out last years champions, The Victory Vixens. It was cool to see them win, they've been the underdog all year since the train wreck that was last season. Xcelerator announced her retirement again, I think she means it this time. She's been with the league for 10 years. She was voted MVP back in '07 after they won The Championships. We had such a good team back then. This years team is almost as good, it's better than it's been in a while. We're currently undefeated, hopefully we can say the same thing after Besterns in June. Jess Decker announced her retirement as well. At least X is going to finish out the season with The All-Stars but Decker is done. Track Rat is another who is retiring. Some good-byes just hurt.
     Moving on to happier things, maybe you have some travel plans in the near future (I know I do) and you're looking for a good book to while away your time in a plane, train or automobile, I have a couple of reccomendations for you-
The Hard Way by Lee Child- Jack Reacher finds himself in New York, just enjoying a cup of coffee at a local cafe, when he is then recruited to put his skills as an investigator to work for the leader of a group of mercenaries whose wife has been kidnapped. If you're a fan of the series, you'll definitely enjoy this one.
My Lucky Life In And Out Of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke- This is a really interesting autobiography if you're a fan. He talks about the early days, the Air Force years, his t.v. years, what was going on behind the scenes, all the news that's fit to print. This is totally worth your time.
Keep Moving: And Other Tips And Truths About Aging by Dick Van Dyke- If ever there was a how-to book on making the most of your golden years, this is the one. He wrote this when he turned 90 and while he talks about some stories from the old days (some of which were in his first book), it's really just a collection of advice and outlooks from someone who's been there. It's a good read.
     I haven't seen as many movies as I'd like but, here's what I've seen lately, maybe something will strike your fancy-
4 Got 10- A man regains consciousness in the desert surrounded by dead bodies and vehicles. He's been shot but he can move. He has no memory of why he was there or what he was doing. One of the vehicles has a lot of cocaine, the other has a lot of money. He gets in the money van and finds a gps that he manages to follow backwards to the point of origin in hopes of finding some answers. Things don't always turn out as planned. The movie has an interesting premise but some of the character development falls a little flat and their story gets so overly complicated that they end up explaining everything to the audience in the last five minutes. It has Dolph Lundgren, Michael Pare and Danny Trejo but they've all been in better movies. Watch it if you're curious.
Colossal- I'm a fan of Ann Hathaway but when I saw the preview for this, I had some serious doubts. I had a chance to see it for free so, since there was nothing else out at the time, I decided to go see it. I'm glad I did. The premise sounds dumb but there is a story that turns out to be really good. I was impressed and definitely recommend it.
Eyewitness- I never saw this when it first came out because the critics killed it. Peter Yates was the director and it stars Sigourney Weaver as a reporter trying to get information out of William Hurt, who witnessed a murder, or did he just say that because he has a crush on her? I'm not going to say much outside of check it out, definitely worth a look.
Free Fire- I'll admit to going into this looking for a new guilty pleasure. Maybe if I had kept my expectations lower, I might have enjoyed it more. As it was, I thought it was just okay.
The Graduate- I've got one word for you, plastics. Cinemark played this for a couple of days to commemorate its anniversary. Any time you can see it on the big screen, do it. Hearing the soundtrack through a theater sound system is incredible.
How To Steal A Million- Audrey Hepburn stars as the daughter of an art counterfeiter who enlists cat burglar Peter O'Toole to steal a piece her father did from a local museum before it gets appraised by an insurance company. The cast is great and it's a fun heist movie so check it out.
Logan- Have you been burned by every other X-Men movie to the point where you just don't give a damn anymore? Me too. But, I still enjoyed this movie. They don't waste time talking about "the impending war between humans and mutants" and actually manage to tell a story that's not just a set up for the next movie. This movie is as good as everybody says it is.
Se7en- A local theater played this on the big screen so, of course, I had to go check it out. This is one of my favorites and it's the best movie David Fincher has directed. Go see it any chance you get.
     I recently got Netflix so I've been catching up on some t.v. shows.
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3- If you've enjoyed the last two seasons then you'll like this one. S.H.I.E.L.D is rebuilding after the Hydra attack of last season. There is a big story arc with The Inhumans that makes you wonder why they don't just call in The Avengers and end this shit in 15 minutes, but over all it's enjoyable.
     Well, I guess this is the end because I'm running out of things to talk about. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next month.    

April Newsletter

     So, did you all think I'd forgotten about you? Things have been busy over here on my side of the screen. To start at the end of March, I had a birthday. Nothing landmarkish, just another trip around the sun. I celebrated in the usual way, worked all day and then filmed most of the night. IX Productions has a new project in the works, a web series called That Space Show. Look for it online, the promo trailer is currently on youtube. They go into production later this month.
     That was Thursday so that means I spent Friday working and packing. Saturday, the 1st, I moved most of the day and then had a derby game that night. The home teams are in the home stretch before The Rink of Fire in May. It looks like The Dreadnought Dorothys will be taking on The Black Eye Susans for The Tim Warder Cup and The Victory Vixens and The Knock-Outs are fighting it out for third. After the game, more moving.
     Sunday, a little cleaning before going to Wichita for The Junior Warriors pre-season game against ICT. They held their own for a while but started to lose control in the second period and ended up losing. They have a decent team, just need some more practice. Next season will probably be a building season since most of the veterans are about to age out. After the game, I was able to have dinner with my dad. That was nice. Back home to more last minute moving and a deep cleaning of an empty apartment. I probably got enough sleep over three days to count on two hands but it was worth it to be done with that place and get my security deposit back.
     Somewhere in that blur of a week, I managed to start the unpacking process, do the write up for Saturdays game, have a second birthday dinner and get to work.
     Friday, the 7th, as part of the Kansas City Film Festival, IX Productions had the premier of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was cool to see it on the big screen and hear my hard work coming through theater speakers. The audience laughed in the right places and had questions during the q&a. Look for it at a film festival near you because it has been submitted to several. Hit the after party, go home, pass out, resurrect thy self at the alarm and move on to Saturday.
     Worked until 7 and managed to make the 7:30 performance of Tennessee Playboy. The story line is a little disjointed but the performances were good. Hit a KCFF after party with some of the cast and networked until my eyes glazed over. Lather, rinse, repeat and we're now into Sunday.
     I went to see Return To Forbidden Planet in Independence. It's a musical. The story line wandered around and characters seemed to go through the motions just because the script said they had to. I was there to support a friend who had choreographed his first fight scene. Given the circumstances, it turned out well. Everybody involved was inexperienced, one of the actresses had a costume that limited her range of motion and it was set to music and done on the fly since he was brought in as a last minute replacement. Everybody walked away and was able to complete the show so I chalk that one up as a win. All those years of Richard and I killing him and kicking his ass had paid off.
     The rest of the week is filled with waking up and going to work but there is a derby tournament this weekend between KCRW, Omaha and Tulsa. Tickets are available now, get yours today! If you're not in KC then tune in to The Wheel Press' facebook page for coverage. This will be the first time I've tried to do a running commentary in real time so tune in, it'll either be cool or a shit show.
     What's a newsletter without a few book and movie suggestions? Without any further ado-
In A Deadly Vein by Brett Halliday- Mike Shane and his wife are on vacation in a small Colorado mining town that is playing host to a theatrical festival (I had no idea how coincidental this story line was when I picked it up). While waiting for the opening night festivities to begin, they run across an actress they know from New York. While they are talking, she sees her long lost father through a window. She goes after him and turns a corner just in time to see him murdered and the killer run away. Later that night, she ends up dead as well. The local police are baffled and it's up to Shane to get to the bottom of things before more people wind up dead. It's worth your time to read this.
Loitering With Intent: The Child by Peter O'Toole- If you're expecting a book filled with great stories like the ones you've always heard Mr. O'Toole tell over the years, this will disappoint you a little. This is narrative prose. The stories are interesting, once you learn the language. When he talks about his early childhood, he uses a lot of cockney slang that's difficult for those of us from the colonies to follow at times but over time, as he grows up and moves around and begins school, the language gets a little clearer. There is a parallel with Adolph Hitler that runs throughout the book. He became obsessed with Hitler because he was terrified as a child during the war. It's worth your time if you're a fan but it may not be everybody's cup of tea.
Face The Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley- This book is amazing. If you get the chance, listen to the audio book, it's read by Paul and it's unabridged. His story and struggles are really interesting. I related to a lot of what he was talking about and that always fascinates me when I hear about the struggles of people that I admire. When I was a kid I always thought it would be cool to be Paul Stanley or Arnold Schwarzenegger, After hearing their stories, it turns out I wasn't that far off. We just took different career paths. Even i you're not a KISS fan, I think you'll enjoy the book. It's more about the musician than the music. Of course, if you are a fan, then you will have a lot of questions answered as he just lays it out there, warts and all. Check it out, I think you'll like it.
The Autobiography of Mark Twain parts 2 and 3 by Mark Twain- True to form, Mr. Clemens delivers the goods, even 100 years later. His approach of moving from subject to subject at the speed of thought really keeps things interesting. If you like part one, then keep going, you won't be disappointed.
Adventures In Babysitting-I hadn't seen this movie in years but I ran across it at the library so I decided to take it home. It still holds up. I found myself laughing at the parts I'd forgotten about and even the jokes I did remember were still funny. Say what you will about The Karate Kid or Call To Glory, this was definitely the movie where I became a mouth breathing, moist handed fan boy for Elisabeth Shue. Check it out.
Blazing Saddles- I was definitely strolling down memory lane last month. What can I say about this movie that you don't already know? Check out the dvd, Mel Brooks has a "select scene commentary" which is a fancy way of saying his commentary runs through most of the movie but not all of it. Once he's done, that's it. He tells some really interesting stories about the making of the film so it's definitely worth your time.
Brutal Beauty: Tales Of The Rose City Rollers- I'm watching a documentary about a roller derby team? That's so unusual. This was made a couple of years ago and it chronicles The Rose City Rollers as they make their way to The Championships. It's pretty interesting, managing to spend just enough time on each player tat it doesn't just get overwhelming. I've always considered doing a documentary on The Roller Warriors but we had a tv series so anything else just seems kind of pale in comparison. Check it out if you enjoy sports documentaries. You don't have to be a derby fan to appreciate this, but it doesn't hurt.
The Cannonball Run- Sometimes you just want to watch a movie for the sheer fun of it and that's what this movie is, just a lot of fun. It has an all-star cast and it's directed by Hal Needham. If you get the dvd, you'll also get to hear his commentary track with the producer. Well worth your time. It ties with The Villain as my third favorite Needham movie.
Conan The Barbarian- After reading Schwarzenegger's book and learning about everything that went on behind the scenes with this, I had to watch it again. I love this movie. If you haven't seen it in a while, check it out. if you've never seen it, run, don't walk, to your local library or video store and get it now!
Inspector Bellamy- This was Claude Chabrol's last film. Gerard Depardieu is great in the title role as a retiring detective who has his time divided between an estranged brother and a murder case. The performances are incredible but the story just fades out. Not one of favorite Chabrol films but worth a look for the curious.
The Narrow Margin- Charles McGraw is a police detective who is on the longest rain ride of his life as he tries to get a mobsters widow, Marie Windsor, from Chicago to Los Angeles to testify. Check it out, I think you'll enjoy it. William Friedkin does a commentary track which is interesting but, you keep asking yourself, why is Friedkin doing the commentary? Check it out.
William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream- It's hard to be objective considering how close i am to the material and the resources that went into this but, I can say without prejudice that one of the things that drew me into this project was the fact that it's unabridged. Even on set, there was always some body on book and if an actor put a "the" or "thou" in the wrong place or omitted it all together, we were going for another take. If you're a fan of ambitious independent projects then, by all means, check this out. If you're a big Shakespeare nerd, you'll love it.
All In The Family seasons 7, 8, 9- I'm glad that i finally made it through all of the seasons. I had not seen many of these since I was a kid and the stuff from the later seasons I didn't remember at all. If you start watching the series, stick with it. It doesn't fall apart like most shows that last past season five. I'm not saying it was perfect, but it remained consistently good.
     That's all I have for this month. Tune in next month to see what I've had a chance to watch. My schedule has been so chaotic that I don't even have time to watch tv. Sometimes I think this is a good thing, other times it feels exhausting. I'm trying to reconnect to people again so maybe it's not so bad. Until next month.
   

March Newsletter

Greetings all,
     Welcome to March! It's hard to believe we're three months in to the new year already. The president hasn't pushed the button...yet, and we haven't invaded anything. So, as long as we're just maintaining the status quo of fear and paranoia, what say we move on to cheerier subjects?
     As I mentioned last month, my nomadic tendencies are flaring up again and I'm on the move. The hardest part is over, I found a place, now it's on to Phase Two-packing. I take possession in April so my next broadcast will be from my new place. I'll be happy when all of this is over since lately it seems like my days have just become one long to-do list. Thankfully, I have some travel therapy coming up. I feel like I've just stagnated over the winter; I don't like it. California peeps, get ready, because next month I'm invading your state!
     On the subject of travel, I did recently have a chance to get out of town for a day. I took a trip to Atchison, Kansas. Okay, it wasn't much of a trip and Atchison's not much of a town but, at Benedictine College they had a David Mamet double feature. The matinee was Speed-the-plow. I had never read this or seen it performed so the material was new to me. That was kind of refreshing considering that it's an early work. I don't know how it's escaped me through the years but now I've seen it. I enjoyed the story and I'm trying not to be too harsh on the actors but when college kids are trying to play mid-forties, you can't help but wonder what they're basing that performance off of. There was also a poorly staged fight scene but that's just me picking nits. I'm sure the rest of the audience bought into it, especially when the blood capsules came out.
     The second play was Oleanna. This one I have read and seen the movie but it was a treat to see it on stage. I will admit to a slight bias just because a friend of mine, Mr. Andy Penn, was in the role of the teacher. He was age appropriate for the role, so that wasn't a distraction. That's the only grace I had to give him, the rest of the praise he brought on with his own merits. It was great to see it performed live. Mamet is a lot like Shakespeare in that regard. Reading it only goes so far. I still remember working at a theater when the movie came out and people would have some really heated discussions over which character was in the right. Sometimes it was as entertaining as the film, other times you just wanted to herd them out the door and let them fight it out on the sidewalk.
     Surprisingly, the play did not bring this kind of heated debate. I was a little surprised given that I was on a college campus. Later, a thought struck me upon reflection since I also walked out of it with a different feeling than when I read it or saw the film. In the 1990's, when it came out, by the time you reached the end, you were pretty sure the girl was some kind of demented, up and coming feminazi. Here in the new millennium, when everybody screams assault and makes a federal case out of a sideways glance, you could see both sides and his reactions don't feel as justified. You still understand them, but were they as justified as they were twenty years ago? I later found out that the director slightly changed a couple of things to blur the lines of fault but, I still can't help but wonder if society has changed so much that this play has lost it's cultural impact?
     I haven't read many plays as of late but, I have been tearing through some good autobiographies and a little sword and sorcery fantasy just to keep the imagination active. Maybe you've read some of these or maybe you're just looking for a recommendation, either way, here's what I've read lately-
White Line Fever by Lemmy Kilmister- Regardless of if you're a Motorhead fan or not (yeah, right, like anybody is not a Motorhead fan), this is a damn fine read. If you have an interest in the music industry and like the behind the scenes stories, this is for you. The book was published in 2002 so if you're looking for the insight from beyond the grave, there might be some magazine articles out there but you won't find it here. What you will find is some insight into the industry, the perils of forming a band and a lot of interesting and funny stories from the road (which he refers to as Motorhead's natural habitat). Definitely worth a read.
The Ring Of Ikribu by David C. Smith & Richard Tierney-     This is the first installment in a series of books featuring Red Sonja. She is a mercenary swordswoman in The Hyborian Age (a creation of Robert E. Howard for Conan). Sonja hires on with an exiled monarch to help reclaim his kingdom from an evil wizard who searches the land for a ring of untold power. If you want to know more, you’ll have to read the book. If you’ve read Howard’s stories and enjoyed them then check this out. If your only exposure to the sword and sorcery fantasy genre has come in 400 page chunks with entire chapters dedicated to the history of forests and the lineage of Hobbits, then definitely check this out. Enjoy! 
The Autobiography of Mark Twain Volume One by Mark Twain- When I first saw this pop up on the shelves of the local bookstores, I was apprehensive. I figured it was some sort of reprinted compilation that somebody had strung together in order to make a few bucks off of the Twain name. For some reason, I never saw volumes two or three show up until I saw them on the library shelf. Feeling this was no longer a hoax, I decided to pick it up. It's on disc and runs about 20 per volume. I figured if it turned out to be crap I can hit the eject button and be done with the whole mess. It turns out that this really is a work by Mark Twain. He left behind several manuscripts as well as instructions that the book not be published until 100 years after his passing. Well, as time has marched on since 1910, The Mark Twain Society has sifted through a few hundred thousand pages of manuscript and notes to faithfully construct this book into what is the best guestimation of how Twain would have wanted it. There is not a clear running timeline but a wandering monologue as natural thought patterns and conversations tend to go. The audiobook is narrated by Grover Gardner, although, I was a little surprised they didn't get Hal Holbrook. After seeing his stage show about ten years ago, you really feel like he is Twain. I definitely recommend the first volume, more later on the next volumes.
     In between books, there are always movies. I feel like I haven't seen as many movies this month but I'm hoping that will change with the weather.
     Duck Soup- The four Marx Brothers are at it again! I was just looking for a good laugh and happened to run across something timely in these politically turbulent times. It seems the country of Freedonia has fallen on hard times. An heiress can save the country with a loan but, before that happens, she wants somebody new in power because she has lost faith in the leadership. Who is this man, you ask, to lead the country out of this depression and protect its borders? Rufus T. Firefly (played by Groucho)! His adversaries have sent their best spies (Chico and Harpo) to infiltrate Firefly’s palace and keep them aware of his actions. Zeppo plays the captain of the guard who leads the troops into battle against the rival nation that is attempting a coup. If you’re looking for a good laugh, definitely check this out.
Grudge Match- Robert DeNiro and Sylvester Stallone in a movie together supported by Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger and Kevin Hart! A sure fire hit, right? Not really. The acting is good, the script is competent but it just feels like a contractual obligation. Each of these actors have been in better movies, if you've seen all of those then go ahead and watch this one. It's not a complete waste of time.
Hercules In The Haunted World- This was the second movie that Reg Park did in his Hercules series. It came out in 1961 and was made in Italy. Christopher Lee plays an evil wizard who has cast a spell on Hercules' fiancee. In order to save her, Hercules must travel to Hades to retrieve an artifact that will allow him to break the spell. It's good ol' Saturday matinee fun the way sword and sandal films are supposed to be. I've always felt a connection with this particular film since screening one of the five remaining prints. We managed to get it for one showing before it was sent to California where they made the video transfer that you see today.
John Wick-  If you wrote this off as just another action film with Keanu “whoa” Reeves, then you’re really missing out. Once you buy into the alternate comic book-esque world of this movie, it’s really a lot of fun. I will freely admit that I wasn’t expecting a lot from this movie the first time I saw it. In fact, I think I was just looking for something to do after work. Man, was I ever surprised. The plotline is solid, the supporting cast is awesome and the fight scenes are incredible! Check this out, especially since we now have…

John Wick: Chapter 2-  If you thought the first one was a thrill ride, strap in and hang onto something because this is going to get crazy. If you liked the first one, definitely check this out, you will not be disappointed.   
Lethal Weapon-  I can keep this brief because I just talked about this back in January. This does slide in on a technicality though, because it’s the theatrical cut. A local movie theater recently revived it for one showing and I was there! It was in 35mm and the print looked great. I don’t know what it is about this movie that makes me enjoy it so much. Yes, it was ground breaking and became the gold standard for action movies, but that was thirty years ago. The scenes inside the Murtaugh house always feel like an editor trying to salvage a story out of missing footage. But yet, the writing still holds up, the characters are incredible and nobody has come up with a fight scene as cool as the Riggs/Joshua fight at the end. I’m sure I’ll still be watching this movie thirty years from now and still feeling that same excitement. I just chalk it up to the magic of movies.
My Bloody Valentine- What better time to watch a movie about a disgruntled miner wreaking vengeance on a small town than on Valentines Day? This 1981 holiday classic had a directors cut released a few years ago where they put in the footage that got cut on its initial release. The movie now makes more sense. Censorship at the expense of story, who benefits? If you haven't seen it in a while, check it out. The early 1980's was the golden age of the slasher film and this one does not disappoint.
A Night In Casablanca-With the latest manager of a posh hotel in post-war Casablanca murdered, the call goes out to find a replacement. The man for the job-Ronald Kornblow (Groucho). It seems that there are Nazi spies about and a hidden treasure that an Allied army officer is intent to find to clear his name. Another classic from The Marx Brothers that I would recommend.
Red Shoe Diaries-Zalman King came up with a great pilot for his Showtime series. It stars David Duchovny as a successful architect whose life gets shattered when his fiancee commits suicide. As he is gathering up her belongings, he comes across her diary. What he finds inside leaves him with more questions than answers as he tries to come to grips with what he reads. If you've enjoyed King's other films then this will not disappoint. His obsession with Anias Nin and his ever present themes of tragic romance are at an all time high. Unfortunately, it also has one of the top five cringe worthy lines ever uttered in filmdom but, hey, nothing's perfect. Check it out and let me know what you think.
That Man Bolt- Universal Pictures was looking to start a franchise with this movie. It was a Shaft meets Bond kind of thing that never really took off in their eyes. Too bad, because Jefferson Bolt (played by Fred Williamson) could have really taken off as a character. He was the predecessor of Frank Martin (who got four movies and a short lived series) in that he was an international courier who uses his wits as well as his muscle to get the package where it needs to be when it needs to be there.  He has the suave sophistication of Bond and the street wise toughness of Shaft (as well as having a better fight choreographer than Mean Johnny Barrows). It’s worth a look, if you get the chance you should check it out.
Used Cars- Written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Zemeckis, produced by John Milius and Steven Spielberg and starring Kurt Russell and Jack Warden. With a pedigree like this it's hard to believe that the movie never caught on bigger than it did. It is a definite cult classic in the vein of D.C. Cab that you either get into and enjoy or you don't. There's very little middle ground. I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too.
     Finally, for my fellow tv watchers-
All In The Family Season 5- This was the season where The Jeffersons moved on up and the Stivics moved on out. This also saw the 100th episode where Henry Fonda hosted an hour long retrospect. It's interesting to see Mike grow as a character due to his freedom from under Archie's roof.
All In The Family Season 6- The writing is still solid for the most part. That's a rarity when you get much past season 4 anymore. The Bunkers become grandparents and the writers start to explore the couple moments of Edith and Archie now that they're alone. The directors also come up with some new angles to film the house in. It's amusing to think back on how the raspberry was the pop culture catch phrase right before "may the force be with you."
     That's about all I have for this month. Don't forget about The Roller Warriors games coming up March 11th and April 1st. The Dreadnought Dorothys have a lock on things so far, but that can change. If The Knock-Outs win their next four games, they might take home a trophy. Everybody loves an underdog. Tune in next month when I'll be another year older and living in a new place. Until next time.