It’s October, moving toward the Halloween season, and you know what that means: time for horror movies! And kicking off the season for me is a film I’ve been meaning to get around to seeing for years: John Carpenter’s The Thing, the 1982 remake of Howard Hawks’s 1951 classic, The Thing From Another World, both … Continue reading Review: ‘The Thing’
Movies
Friday Flotsam: Minnesota and Mario
1. Spent most of the week in Minneapolis getting training for my new job. It went fine for the most part, but travel is always tiring, especially travel for work. Looking forward to the weekend. 2. I always hate air travel; crammed alongside strangers for an hour or more while the pressurized air grinds against … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Minnesota and Mario
Friday Flotsam: Vita Nuova, Psych Matters, Rule of Life, and Killer Shrews
1. So incipit vita nuova. Of course it hasn't really begun; I don't start until Monday. But one phase is definitely over. 2. Today was mostly spent finishing up the transfer of files from my old computer to the new one. I'm trying to clear as many old projects or 'things that need to be … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Vita Nuova, Psych Matters, Rule of Life, and Killer Shrews
Another Matchup
"Resistance is Futile." "EXTERMINATE!" Personally, my money's on the Daleks, but it'd be an interesting fight.
Sharing a Vid: ‘Walt vs. Disney’
Got put onto this video the other day and heartily recommend it. The narrator compares the films of Walt Disney with those of the renaissance and modern Disney corporation (well, 2017 modern) to show how artistically superior Uncle Walt's films were, in the process calling attention to just what a great filmmaker the man was. … Continue reading Sharing a Vid: ‘Walt vs. Disney’
Friday Flotsam: Some History, Headspace, and More
1. Most of my reading this week was more stuff on colonial and early American history, which I don’t want to talk about right now because I’m a little tired of controversies on the subject. That’s kind of a pattern with a lot of these Flotsams and, heck, life in general; most of the stuff … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Some History, Headspace, and More
Thoughts on “The Greatest Game Ever Played”
Historically-based sport movies were all the rage for a while in the early 2000s. Off the top of my head you had Remember the Titans (football), Miracle (hockey), Cinderella Man (boxing), Seabiscuit (horse-racing),Invincible (football again), The Rookie (baseball) and I’m sure about a dozen others that I’m forgetting or never saw. Coming in the midst … Continue reading Thoughts on “The Greatest Game Ever Played”
Writing Historical Characters
The film Cinderella Man came up on the Castalia House blog the other day. The film, just so we’re all clear, is the story of James Braddock, a slightly-over-the-hill boxer during the Great Depression whose career had seemed over, until he suddenly returned to the ring with a series of stunning victories, culminating in him … Continue reading Writing Historical Characters
Thought of the Day: Hollywood Friendships
I think the most positive aspect of Hollywood as an industry, in its golden era at least, were the great, intense friendships that sometimes resulted; people like Laurel and Hardy, or Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda, or Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, or Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The entertainment industry has always been a … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Hollywood Friendships
Friday Flotsam: Mad World Misses
I don’t feel like putting actual work into the Flotsam this Friday. Instead, since It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World came up on work chat this week, I thought I’d do a quick rundown of some of the most notable comedians who weren’t in that film and why. 1. Charlie Chaplin: Had expatriated himself … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mad World Misses
Serpent's Den 