When I was a teenager (lo, those many years ago), I watched a movie on TV called Champions: A Love Story. It was a random Saturday or (probably) Sunday. This was during a time when there were only six or seven channels on the TV and you had so few choices in what to watch that you tended to gravitate to something that had any bit of compelling story. And this (made for TV) movie was compelling enough that it has stayed with me for close to 30 years. I watched it again once more in college, but since then it has been a film that has been on my personal want list. Thanks to Warner Archives (and my buddy Ben) I finally own a copy on DVD, and I just rewatched it to see if it was worth the money.
Worth every cent.
After 1950, there are essentially 3 movies about figure skating that are either known or good. Ice Castles which wears its heart on its sleeve and stars a Bond Girl (Lynn-Holly Johnson). The Cutting Edge, which forever put the term "toe pick" in the heads of those who've seen it. And finally, Champions: A Love Story which has a pretty simple plot - a female figure skater is good, but in order to become great, she has to team up with an ex-hockey player who learns the figure skating ropes. And they fall in love.
Champions is by far the least known of the three films, but as I rewatched it, I was struck by how sophisticated it was for a TV movie that was made in 1979. It's subtitled "A Love Story," and while it's a love story between the two main characters (Carrie and Peter), its also between Peter's parents as they struggle with the cost of his skating, as well as a sudden illness that hits at the wrong time. And even their coach (nicely underplayed by Tony Lo Bianco) has his own love story that intertwines throughout. And what makes the movie work for me is that all these storylines blend together with the skating to make this charming little film.
What I also found interesting, is that in nearly all the reviews I read after watching the movie again, the major final plot point was given away. I'm not going to reveal it here, but suffice to say, it still makes an impact on me, and that's also probably one of the reasons I like the movie as much as I do.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Day 1172 - Grrrr
If Michael McKean weren't on Better Call Saul I'm not sure I'd be watching it. I watched the very first episode of Breaking Bad and that was it, so I have no vested interest in any of the characters. But having Mr. Green from Clue being a supporting character on a show is reason enough for me to give it a few episodes.
But this is really just me putting off writing what I really want to write which is - I like my car. I don't love it, like some people love their cars. I appreciate it as a tool that gets me from one place to another, and that's about it. That being said, I get sad when it stops working, which is what it's doing right now. I took it to one place, and they couldn't find out what was wrong, but they got the engine light to turn off. But two days later, it came on again. So, now I've brought it to a second place, and they've experienced the same consternation. They don't know what's wrong and they're keeping it overnight. My dad said I shouldn't worry about it, because there's nothing I can do, and he's right. But knowing that my car has a supposedly "mystery" problem does nothing to assuage my mind. And I have to guess "mystery" problems aren't cheap. Yay.
I don't like writing about stuff here that isn't funny or pop culture related, but I've also tried to keep writing on a semi-regular basis. However, since I always seem to post these blogs late at night, there's only a handful of you who will actually read this, so my whining shouldn't be that intrusive.
And episode 3 of Better Call Saul was good enough for me to keep watching.
But this is really just me putting off writing what I really want to write which is - I like my car. I don't love it, like some people love their cars. I appreciate it as a tool that gets me from one place to another, and that's about it. That being said, I get sad when it stops working, which is what it's doing right now. I took it to one place, and they couldn't find out what was wrong, but they got the engine light to turn off. But two days later, it came on again. So, now I've brought it to a second place, and they've experienced the same consternation. They don't know what's wrong and they're keeping it overnight. My dad said I shouldn't worry about it, because there's nothing I can do, and he's right. But knowing that my car has a supposedly "mystery" problem does nothing to assuage my mind. And I have to guess "mystery" problems aren't cheap. Yay.
I don't like writing about stuff here that isn't funny or pop culture related, but I've also tried to keep writing on a semi-regular basis. However, since I always seem to post these blogs late at night, there's only a handful of you who will actually read this, so my whining shouldn't be that intrusive.
And episode 3 of Better Call Saul was good enough for me to keep watching.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Day 1164 - Jeff Daniels, King Dork, and seafood.
Couple o' things tonight, which is funny, because I'm fighting off a headache that just wants to put me to bed.
In my wallet I keep a list of books that I keep an eye out for, either at the library or used bookstores. One of those books was "King Dork" by Frank Portman. I've had that book written down for probably 8 years and have never found it... until a week and a half ago. Apparently I never thought to look in the young adult section for it until then. When I started reading it, I thought to myself, " I wonder if this book will live up to 8 years of expectations?" And as I finished it, I thought, "It absolutely lived up to my expectations." I can't wait to buy it (now that I know where the bookstores will keep it) and put it on my bookshelf. What scares me now, is the sequel which just came out. Will that be as good as the book I just read, which really didn't seem like it needed a sequel. (But I'm going to read it anyway.)
I saw Jeff Daniels play some folksy, bluegrass music last Saturday at The Music Box Supper Club. He was backed up by his son's band, the Ben Daniels Band. He was charming, told some great stories, sand really well, and was way more musically inclined than I thought he was going to be. I had read an article saying that he was coming to town, and I decided to drop in and buy a ticket (I'm not good with buying things online). When I got to the venue, the lady there informed me that the show had sold out... but, hey, these two ladies haven't picked up their tickets yet and I could have one of those. Things were coming up Milhouse. Since it was a Supper Club, I was going to get some food. My personal two options were the Angus Burger (which the guy next to me got and looked pretty good) or the Seafood Appetizer Trio. I opted for the seafood since I love (love) seafood. Until that night, I had never had bad seafood. Now I know what bad seafood tastes like. It was, by far, the worst I ever had. The shrimp tasted funny, the calamari had really flaky breading that overwhelmed everything, and the perch was the best thing about the meal, but there were so many bones in them that I was scared to keep eating. It was one of the weirdest experiences, because the concert was so good, yet the food was so bad. But, I really am happy that I now have a bar set for the worst seafood ever.
And I really should listen to my body (which prevented me from doing just about everything that I wanted to do today) and go to bed.
In my wallet I keep a list of books that I keep an eye out for, either at the library or used bookstores. One of those books was "King Dork" by Frank Portman. I've had that book written down for probably 8 years and have never found it... until a week and a half ago. Apparently I never thought to look in the young adult section for it until then. When I started reading it, I thought to myself, " I wonder if this book will live up to 8 years of expectations?" And as I finished it, I thought, "It absolutely lived up to my expectations." I can't wait to buy it (now that I know where the bookstores will keep it) and put it on my bookshelf. What scares me now, is the sequel which just came out. Will that be as good as the book I just read, which really didn't seem like it needed a sequel. (But I'm going to read it anyway.)
I saw Jeff Daniels play some folksy, bluegrass music last Saturday at The Music Box Supper Club. He was backed up by his son's band, the Ben Daniels Band. He was charming, told some great stories, sand really well, and was way more musically inclined than I thought he was going to be. I had read an article saying that he was coming to town, and I decided to drop in and buy a ticket (I'm not good with buying things online). When I got to the venue, the lady there informed me that the show had sold out... but, hey, these two ladies haven't picked up their tickets yet and I could have one of those. Things were coming up Milhouse. Since it was a Supper Club, I was going to get some food. My personal two options were the Angus Burger (which the guy next to me got and looked pretty good) or the Seafood Appetizer Trio. I opted for the seafood since I love (love) seafood. Until that night, I had never had bad seafood. Now I know what bad seafood tastes like. It was, by far, the worst I ever had. The shrimp tasted funny, the calamari had really flaky breading that overwhelmed everything, and the perch was the best thing about the meal, but there were so many bones in them that I was scared to keep eating. It was one of the weirdest experiences, because the concert was so good, yet the food was so bad. But, I really am happy that I now have a bar set for the worst seafood ever.
And I really should listen to my body (which prevented me from doing just about everything that I wanted to do today) and go to bed.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Day 1151 - Would You Rather
Would You Rather is a horror flick that, while effective, has a few flaws.
The simple plot is that Shepard Lambrick (deliciously played by Jeffrey Combs) has invited 8 people to his house to engage in a deadly game of "Would You Rather." The person we get to see make this journey is Iris, as played by Brittany Snow. Her brother needs a bone marrow transplant, their house is up for sale, and school is no longer an option. This game is her best shot at keeping her head above water.
Once the game starts, the movie hits on all cylinders. You're sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see how each player is either eliminated or moves on. The tension stays strong throughout... except when Lawrence Gilliard as Dr. Barden shows up. Dr. Barden is the guy who recommends Iris for the game, but then he gets second thoughts. As you watch the movie, you realize his character is completely unnecessary. In fact, every time the movie cuts to him, it actually slows the pace down.
That's one of the bad things about the film. The other bad thing - it took me about two minutes in to see where things were going. It cast a bit of a pall on the proceedings.
But the things that work, yeah, they work well. Like I said, the pace of the film is spot-on. It does what good movies do, and it builds slowly. The big reveal of how serious the game is takes some time to get to, but that's because we're given the time to see how desperate Iris is to get to this point. The other main thing that works - the acting. Every one of the actors seems like they're giving it their all. What could simply be a fun exploitation movie is elevated by the actors, as they manage to create rich characters with the smallest of screen time. I can't really think of a slacker in the main group. And, for me, it's always great to see Crab Man (Eddie Steeples) in anything.
I would rate this higher, because of all the positives, but I just find it frustrating that I figured out the trajectory of the story so early on, that it clouds my view of the whole thing. Well worth a watch if you dig this sort of thing (and you know who you are), but once is enough for me, I think.
**1/2
The simple plot is that Shepard Lambrick (deliciously played by Jeffrey Combs) has invited 8 people to his house to engage in a deadly game of "Would You Rather." The person we get to see make this journey is Iris, as played by Brittany Snow. Her brother needs a bone marrow transplant, their house is up for sale, and school is no longer an option. This game is her best shot at keeping her head above water.
Once the game starts, the movie hits on all cylinders. You're sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see how each player is either eliminated or moves on. The tension stays strong throughout... except when Lawrence Gilliard as Dr. Barden shows up. Dr. Barden is the guy who recommends Iris for the game, but then he gets second thoughts. As you watch the movie, you realize his character is completely unnecessary. In fact, every time the movie cuts to him, it actually slows the pace down.
That's one of the bad things about the film. The other bad thing - it took me about two minutes in to see where things were going. It cast a bit of a pall on the proceedings.
But the things that work, yeah, they work well. Like I said, the pace of the film is spot-on. It does what good movies do, and it builds slowly. The big reveal of how serious the game is takes some time to get to, but that's because we're given the time to see how desperate Iris is to get to this point. The other main thing that works - the acting. Every one of the actors seems like they're giving it their all. What could simply be a fun exploitation movie is elevated by the actors, as they manage to create rich characters with the smallest of screen time. I can't really think of a slacker in the main group. And, for me, it's always great to see Crab Man (Eddie Steeples) in anything.
I would rate this higher, because of all the positives, but I just find it frustrating that I figured out the trajectory of the story so early on, that it clouds my view of the whole thing. Well worth a watch if you dig this sort of thing (and you know who you are), but once is enough for me, I think.
**1/2
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Day 1146 - Gotham
Is it seasonal affective disorder if all you do is sit at home and read and watch tv and eat junk food? And part of that tv is Gotham, and I'm watching it right now as I type, and holy cow, that's Peter Scolari as the commissioner! There are a lot of comic nerds that don't like Gotham (and I can say that, because I'm a huge comic nerd), but I'm completely on the opposite end of that spectrum. And I say that simply because I'm still watching the show. With so many tv options, my mind tends to wander and drift. I've gotten to the point (and I'm not sure when it exactly happened) where there are so few hour-long dramas that I watch, that I sorta cling to the ones that make me want to watch them almost immediately.
Ben McKenzie's Jim Gordon manages to show how one honest man manages to barely keep his head above the morass that is the crime and corruption of the worst city in the world (well, the U.S.). Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock does what Donal Logue does, which is make a person that has an abrasive personality, bad habits, and an ego to match a compelling and charismatic character. Robin Lord Taylor plays a skinny Oswald Cobblepot (who, we all know will become The Penguin), and he's not yet the criminal mastermind we know he'll become. He's very smart, but he's still a little green, and it's nice to see his early mistakes and how he's constantly learning from them. Let alone the fact that he's super creepy. Then there's Camren Bicondova's street urchin (Selina Kyle). Apparently she was a dancer before the show was on the air, and her moves bear that out. I'm not sure the creators could have picked a better person that we know will end up being Catwoman,
Lest I overdo the praising, I do have some complaints, but they're exceedingly minor. Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) as Gordon's on again/off again girlfriend is a shadow of a character. I have no interest in any storyline that she's involved in. And Zabryna Guevara's Sarah Essen is Captain of the Gotham police force, but she's too nice. In, what's supposed to be the worst, most corrupt police force, she's too altruistic. Gordon should be butting heads with her in every episode. Although that would probably be boring. In any case, both those small complaints could easily be fixed with some stronger writing. I'm willing to give it that, because I like just about everything else.
I've barely touched on anything other than the acting, and I haven't even written about Bruce and Alfred, but honestly I had no idea what I was gonna write tonight after being off for a couple of weeks. I was still writing, just not a lot and not on here. Like I said, seasonal affective disorder. But we'll see see what happens in the coming days.
Ben McKenzie's Jim Gordon manages to show how one honest man manages to barely keep his head above the morass that is the crime and corruption of the worst city in the world (well, the U.S.). Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock does what Donal Logue does, which is make a person that has an abrasive personality, bad habits, and an ego to match a compelling and charismatic character. Robin Lord Taylor plays a skinny Oswald Cobblepot (who, we all know will become The Penguin), and he's not yet the criminal mastermind we know he'll become. He's very smart, but he's still a little green, and it's nice to see his early mistakes and how he's constantly learning from them. Let alone the fact that he's super creepy. Then there's Camren Bicondova's street urchin (Selina Kyle). Apparently she was a dancer before the show was on the air, and her moves bear that out. I'm not sure the creators could have picked a better person that we know will end up being Catwoman,
Lest I overdo the praising, I do have some complaints, but they're exceedingly minor. Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) as Gordon's on again/off again girlfriend is a shadow of a character. I have no interest in any storyline that she's involved in. And Zabryna Guevara's Sarah Essen is Captain of the Gotham police force, but she's too nice. In, what's supposed to be the worst, most corrupt police force, she's too altruistic. Gordon should be butting heads with her in every episode. Although that would probably be boring. In any case, both those small complaints could easily be fixed with some stronger writing. I'm willing to give it that, because I like just about everything else.
I've barely touched on anything other than the acting, and I haven't even written about Bruce and Alfred, but honestly I had no idea what I was gonna write tonight after being off for a couple of weeks. I was still writing, just not a lot and not on here. Like I said, seasonal affective disorder. But we'll see see what happens in the coming days.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Day 1135 - Football
I hate being held hostage to something I have no control over. I had every intention of either going to a Bible study tonight or seeing White Bird in a Blizzard at the Cinematheque. It could have gone either way, but I was waiting for the furnace guy to call me today. He didn't give a guarantee, but I was hoping for some sort of resolution to this story. It's a very weird thing to actually have the ringer of my phone turned on, as I almost always have it set to vibrate. And I got zero calls today. I didn't want to go to either event in case the furnace guy decided no time was too late, and I was going to get a loud annoying call in the middle of something. So, instead, I got some McDonalds, went home and am now going back and forth between watching football and watching the greatest silent Fritz Lang expressionistic German film - Metropolis. Not a bad night by any stretch of the imagination, but not what I particularly wanted to do tonight.
So I sit here watching sports, and I think I'm going to write about some of my history with organized sports.
I've always loved baseball, but when I was in the 3rd and 4th grades I played touch football for school. And I was pretty good. I practiced with the older kids, and that's what I really remember about that time. I practiced hard. This was years ago, and I don't really remember how good I was, but I did get a trophy for "Most Promising Player Award" so I was either okay or I had a lot of heart. I think it was a mixture of both. I do remember the final game of my career, because we were winning going into the last play. We were on defense, and the other team threw a "Hail Mary" pass (oddly appropriate since it was probably two Catholic schools playing) that was batted in the air and caught in the endzone by the other team. I remember the coach berating us for not knocking the ball down, as opposed to knocking it in the air.
And that was the end of my "professional" football career. I wasn't that disappointed that my new school didn't have a football program, since I never really had as much passion for that as I did with baseball (even though it only took a couple more years to squash that dream as well). I never had the "What if?" moment that I've always had with baseball. That "What if I had continued playing football throughout my life?" question that I'm certain probably haunts others. I was perfectly content to play hours of Nerf football in the street with my friends. It was much less stressful. And, as the pick-up tackle game in college that ended with two bloody lips for me proved, I was perfectly content with my decision to let the game go.
I had heart. I had talent. I was a huge fan of the Kardiac Kids. But I just didn't have the passion. I enjoy watching football now, and I look back on those two years proudly (hey, I got a trophy!), but the sport still doesn't move me as much as baseball does. It might be my own mindset. But, hey, pitchers and catcher report in about 5 weeks.
So I sit here watching sports, and I think I'm going to write about some of my history with organized sports.
I've always loved baseball, but when I was in the 3rd and 4th grades I played touch football for school. And I was pretty good. I practiced with the older kids, and that's what I really remember about that time. I practiced hard. This was years ago, and I don't really remember how good I was, but I did get a trophy for "Most Promising Player Award" so I was either okay or I had a lot of heart. I think it was a mixture of both. I do remember the final game of my career, because we were winning going into the last play. We were on defense, and the other team threw a "Hail Mary" pass (oddly appropriate since it was probably two Catholic schools playing) that was batted in the air and caught in the endzone by the other team. I remember the coach berating us for not knocking the ball down, as opposed to knocking it in the air.
And that was the end of my "professional" football career. I wasn't that disappointed that my new school didn't have a football program, since I never really had as much passion for that as I did with baseball (even though it only took a couple more years to squash that dream as well). I never had the "What if?" moment that I've always had with baseball. That "What if I had continued playing football throughout my life?" question that I'm certain probably haunts others. I was perfectly content to play hours of Nerf football in the street with my friends. It was much less stressful. And, as the pick-up tackle game in college that ended with two bloody lips for me proved, I was perfectly content with my decision to let the game go.
I had heart. I had talent. I was a huge fan of the Kardiac Kids. But I just didn't have the passion. I enjoy watching football now, and I look back on those two years proudly (hey, I got a trophy!), but the sport still doesn't move me as much as baseball does. It might be my own mindset. But, hey, pitchers and catcher report in about 5 weeks.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Day 1134 - Waking up to 50 degrees is not fun
Wednesday night I went to Carrabbas with my mom and my sister to celebrate my dad's victory in the "Survivor" pool this year. He bailed because he was sick. I ate a lot. When I got home I prepped and readied myself to read a lot of comic books. I had some chocolate covered pretzels (Christmas gift!), some pop (Squirt), and the new Echosmith album all good to go. I lasted through the album before I put everything on the table next to me and just passed out on the couch. If I go to bed that early, I'm never concerned that I won't wake up in time for work, because I usually wake up in the middle of the night and make my way to my bed. Which is what I did, because I was hot even though I was under one blanket and I keep my house at a frosty 60 degrees. I went up to my bedroom, set my alarm, and fell right to sleep. At about 7AM I woke up, and my head felt cold. Which was weird, because I normally sleep under three blankets. I went downstairs to look at the thermostat, and it was reading 51 degrees. Pretty cold.
It was pretty early, so I watched some YouTube videos in the hopes that they might give me the answers that I needed to take care of this inexpensively. They did not help. So I called my furnace guys, and they told me they'd call me back when both our schedules were ready.
I attempted other fixes as much as I could since I was working, and resigned myself to dressing warm until I got the furnace guys call. But when I got home, the heat was on! I called the furnace guys, told them all was well, and thanked them. I went to volleyball that night (3-1 for the first game of the season), and came home to have some dinner and watch some TV. I was in the basement relaxing when the furnace turned on, but didn't catch. The same thing it had been doing all day. At that point, I was in for the night. I went to bed late, bundled up, and woke up (again) to a frosty 50 degrees.
My backup plan had been sick the day before, but today (still feeling under the weather) Ryan said he'd take a look at the furnace. When he called me at 4:30 with bad news, I had to bite the bullet and call the furnace guys again. Working around my schedule (with a lot of help from my friends), the furnace guy found the problem, and gave me a temporary fix. He's supposed to come back on Saturday (fingers crossed) and give it the permanent fix. As it is, I've spent a decent amount of money, but it's worth it because 1). It's really, really cold out. and 2). The guy obviously knows what he's doing.
When he was done with hos work, I went back to the comic shop, finished the work I was doing there, and then spent some time catching up on the last five months worth of Avengers and New Avengers comics. It was worth it. It was also worth it to come home to a comfortable house. I just hope tomorrow is the end of it. It's too cold for messing around.
It was pretty early, so I watched some YouTube videos in the hopes that they might give me the answers that I needed to take care of this inexpensively. They did not help. So I called my furnace guys, and they told me they'd call me back when both our schedules were ready.
I attempted other fixes as much as I could since I was working, and resigned myself to dressing warm until I got the furnace guys call. But when I got home, the heat was on! I called the furnace guys, told them all was well, and thanked them. I went to volleyball that night (3-1 for the first game of the season), and came home to have some dinner and watch some TV. I was in the basement relaxing when the furnace turned on, but didn't catch. The same thing it had been doing all day. At that point, I was in for the night. I went to bed late, bundled up, and woke up (again) to a frosty 50 degrees.
My backup plan had been sick the day before, but today (still feeling under the weather) Ryan said he'd take a look at the furnace. When he called me at 4:30 with bad news, I had to bite the bullet and call the furnace guys again. Working around my schedule (with a lot of help from my friends), the furnace guy found the problem, and gave me a temporary fix. He's supposed to come back on Saturday (fingers crossed) and give it the permanent fix. As it is, I've spent a decent amount of money, but it's worth it because 1). It's really, really cold out. and 2). The guy obviously knows what he's doing.
When he was done with hos work, I went back to the comic shop, finished the work I was doing there, and then spent some time catching up on the last five months worth of Avengers and New Avengers comics. It was worth it. It was also worth it to come home to a comfortable house. I just hope tomorrow is the end of it. It's too cold for messing around.
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