Various thoughts on current events with an emphasis on politics, legal issues, books, movies and whatever is on my mind. Emails can be sent to almostsanejoe@aol.com; please put "blog comments" in the subject line.
Paperback Hero is a charming Australian romantic comedy with Hugh Jackman having a chance to keep his accent. He's a truck driver who wrote a romance novel, which leads to complications. Nothing surprising, just overall enjoyable.
The Pastor and the Pro is weirder. A young pastor-in-training decides to hire a prostitute, whom he likes, to be his escort to a church function. The use of Jacob/Leah/Rachel for a romantic triangle is one sign of whimsy. This short film (under eighty minutes) has some serious ideas and strong performances.
I watched the film Executive Decision in the 1990s.
The film, with a small part for the then Mrs. Trump (Marla Maples), concerned terrorists taking control of an airplane.
The terrorist leader plans to detonate a bomb loaded with the DZ-5 in U.S. airspace. A special ops team, including a civilian terrorist consultant played by Kurt Russell, manages to secretly board the plane. It's an entertaining film, though I don't think it quite sticks the landing in the last reel.
Five years later, I listened to the radio as an on-the-scene reporter tearfully reported that one of the twin towers collapsed. I could see the smoke from midtown Manhattan. A few days later, I passed the church where they were having funerals.
I think one good memorial is the names placed on tiles on the wall in a passageway of the Union Square train station of those who died. Has it been 25 years?
Sheena has been on film and television in various forms.
There was a 1950s series and a 1980s film (both silly, and the film is a tad bit sexist). MeTV+ airs one series early Sunday. Nice on the eyes (Baywatch babe). Not bad as somewhat silly entertainment.
Tubi has all three. These days, such white Tarzan figures are a bit outdated. The 2000 version could get pretty violent.
Dolly Parton has had serious health problems recently, so the news is not totally surprising. We just don't like to hear it. She was eighty years old.
My mom listened to a country music radio station while we grew up. So I had exposure to country music while growing up in New York City. I like various country music singers.
I like Dolly Parton. Erik Loomis provides a largely positive obituary here, including honoring her talent and business savvy. He references a 1960s song about a pregnant woman committing suicide after being abandoned.
She was a feminist. One thing he notes is that she did not speak out against her state's anti-trans legislation.
Parton is regularly cited as an LGBTQ ally. She was careful not to bluntly oppose certain laws. But people knew where she stood. In the 1980s, she said this:
“I got a huge gay following and some really macho-looking women,” Parton told Andy Warhol in a conversation for a 1984 Interview cover story. “To me, people are people. … Many of my friends are gay, male and female. I don’t judge people. I don’t care what people do in their bedrooms and people shouldn’t care what I do in mine.”
The anti-LGBTQ movement is based on hate, lack of empathy, and scare tactics. People, however, overall found same sex marriage not a big deal. Parton was accepting, loving, and knew it was not a big scary thing.
When asked, early on, she made jokes about gays now having the same problems as straights. [I heard a form of this on today's Gay USA episode.]
Of course, she didn't really think marriage was bad. She was married for almost sixty years.
When the COVID-19 pandemic upended lives around the world, country music legend Dolly Parton found her own way to lead in a crisis.
Her $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help expedite development of the Moderna vaccine gained international recognition. A Guardian correspondent even suggested naming the shot, "The Dolly."
Parton didn't stop there. Photographers captured her on March 2, 2021, donning a face mask and getting the vaccine in a public show of trust. During a scary and confusing crisis, she was a voice of calm, singing improvised lyrics of "Vaccine" to the tune of her megahit "Jolene."
Trump offerred her a Medal of Freedom. She begged off, concerned about traveling during COVID and other reasons. Later, Dolly was wary about Biden giving her one. It might be seen as "political" if she accepted. She had red and blue fans.
He announced flags will be flown at half-mast in her honor.
The actor Tim Curry also died. Many honor his many roles, especially his gender bending role in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. He was gloriously "weird."
Dolly Parton was pretty outrageous too. Let us allow their spirit to live on, even as we wish "another 80-year-old died." Anyway, I don't think Dolly would have liked people saying that.
I sometimes watch DVDs with someone who has not watched many of the films that many have seen. I recently re-watched Enchanted with her. Last night was B&B. The animated version.
(Years later, we had the live-action version. Kevin Kline played the grandfather.)
Multiple familiar actors do the voices, including the person who later played the gruff police officer Lenny on Law & Order, though some might remember him from Dirty Dancing.
[Jerry Orbach had done some stage work.*]
The film has some good songs. It also has scary parts, including when wolves threaten Belle.
The "heavy" is also a rather cruel character. His flunky reminds somewhat of the flunky in Enchanted.
His being a sexist boor is one thing. Then, he goes next level. Again, I can see some parents being like the mother of "Chip," and thinking their children were too young for some of this.
True enough, the original fairy tales were rather dark. But we generally have a sanitized version. Up to a point. Not quite as dark as this.
One thing that is somewhat lost is that this is supposed to be taking place in France. A few of the servants are French, but Belle and many of the others do not sound very French.
I guess the original edit was deemed inappropriate.
The film is about true love conquering all -- both familial (Belle sacrifices herself for her father) and romantic (a beauty falls for a beast). Also, about the dangers of appearances. Dreaming of more.
And, of course, the power of reading.
The true symbol that all is well is when they kiss. For the value of a true love kiss, see either Enchanted or a Hallmark Channel film. A kiss is a standard finale.
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* Jerry Orbach, to be clear, did a significant amount of stage work. Many people only know him as "Lenny."
His first appearance on the show -- the actor -- was a one-episode guest role portraying someone else. If footnotes are not the place for trivia, what is?
Other Films
To toss it in there, since the film is so popular, they decided to do some spin-offs. Oh, you mean after the events of the film? No silly.
People like the enchanted castle stuff. So, looking at the plot summaries, the stories generally involve stuff that would have taken place during the film.
It might not be completely clear (it wasn't for me), but the "time skip" entry here suggests the film takes place over an extended period. So, there is plenty of time for additional "enchanted" content.
As to the live-action film, there was also one back in the day. Tubi shows me there are multiple live-action versions without all the enchanted details.
I once started watching the live-action version of the animated film that this entry discusses. It didn't really, including the lead, catch my interest.
It also tosses in various extra details, which aren't really necessary and might be counterproductive. Still, I think I will try to watch it again.
I referenced watching this film (with Robert Carradine slumming it) a while back and re-watched it on Tubi. It gets the nudity (breasts) out of the way in the first scene, including repans to show you again. The rest is largely exposition, though sometimes the scenes set up some more breast exposure. Limited bikinis.
This is not high art. It has one or more (huh; she sorta looks like Selena Gomez) kinda familiar-looking types. But it is silly fun. It has enough plot and likeable characters. Now and then, it also has a semblance of wit. Does it's "direct-to-video" job. Kudos.
I watched part of a 1980s film, one of several "woman's revenge thrillers" via Tubi. Her being used as a "hood ornament" was one thing. Killing her horse really did it. The actress is very good.
No revenge, but one woman vs. a bunch of men? Hunting Emma. Foreign, but you barely need the subtitles. Wife who snaps? Got that. Hilarious bad and period piece? I Spit on Your Tombstone.
I saw this on cable a long time ago. I said it was sort of "lame."
Overall, I liked it this time, including a great scene where an innocent wife has to fight two murderous teenagers. The very end tosses in a lame horror trope. They should have left it be with a good way to close the story out. Good lead and pretty good support.
I mostly liked American Mary. Directors known for twisted stuff. The lead was excellent. Amusingly, a supporting character was in the WWII television drama Bomb Girls. Kind of a different role.
Checking Tubi, I see the original and the sequel are available. I hold to my earlier remarks. The author of a (defunct) blog named after the film continues to post on social media (including Bluesky) and elsewhere. The sequel looks ridiculous (and ridiculously overlong).
ETA: I saw Angel (or parts of it). Some 1980s exploitation film charm with breast shots. The lead (in her 20s but playing a teen prostitute) doesn't really do much other than look like a good girl with sorta slutty makeup. Also, Mama Weed (French film) was decent.
I read The Martian after watching part of it on television. The book has too much science porn.
I'm not a scientist. If this were about a subject I knew more about, the level of "into the weeds" in it would still get too much at some point.
Plus, it got repetitive. People obviously enjoyed the book. But just saying as one of them.
Something comes up, he figures a way to deal with it, in intricate scientific detail, rinse/repeat. Please, can we get back to the other people? They even sometimes have to deal with intricate scientific details. They do not go into that much detail. Other stuff also happens.
It's appreciated that we get repeated reminders of the possibility of human error, unplanned occurrences that will screw things up, etc. But this got tiresome.
I liked the book as a whole once I got into a groove of quickly reading all of these details. I have noted that it is harder for me to get into books in recent years.
I completed this book in less than a day. So, you know, not all bad.
The human element is done well overall. Sometimes, I wanted to learn more about the other characters. The rest of the crew, e.g., seem interesting.
I suppose online there is fan fiction covering their adventures. We receive a few snapshots of their personal stories, including a single home-to-ship live communication. Three are married, and the other two have a thing going on with each other.
We know the maroon crew member's parents are alive; he's from Chicago and doesn't seem to have a significant other. Other than that, there is no backstory. One of the discussion questions addresses that. The book is largely about one guy, alone, and you do not get to really understand him too much.
It was flagged in an earlier morning thread that a key science point was problematic. The author edited the book over time as he received feedback on scientific details (my copy has an interview with the author).
He did not fix everything. Dramatic license and other factors do come into play.
He later noted he was aware of the issue. And, anyway, I saw one account that said it "may" be a problem. We don't know for sure.
The book tosses in a somewhat out-of-left-field comment about alternative food supply options. I wondered how long that would last.
Checking online, one commentary noted they left that part out. It is a cannibalism hypo. I can see why.
They also left a few things out of Hail Mary, a recent well-received film also based on the author's novel. My copy provided the first chapter as a preview.
From what I saw, the Matt Damon film was well made. Good cast and so on.
I cannot judge the science of it all.
I also appreciate the sentiment about how it is human instinct to help people, with some exceptions. A key plot point involves the Chinese Space Agency helping, with some sacrifice to their own efforts.
Checking Wikipedia, the film tells you what Matt Damon's character will do when he gets back.
The book ends with his rescue. So, you know, maybe there is a disaster later on, and the whole crew dies!
I re-watched Boy Meets Girl (trans) and Liberty's Secret(lesbian), both of which I referenced on this blog. They are free online. There are several gay and lesbian films on places like YouTube or Tubi. I am trying to find some more trans-related romantic films.
(Re-reading my comment on Liberty's Secret, I understand the reviewer's concerns. The romance aspect is curiously restrained. Overall, imperfections noted, I still liked the film.)
There is a tendency to focus on transgirls, especially in the sports context. I'm a heterosexual. Sure. I like transgirl romances. There was something on YouTube about feminization. It later became dark. But a positive film about that would be good too.
I read the book and watched the film (fairly loyal to the book) before. I did so again, finishing the book today. The author did a lot of (WWII-related) research.
Both are recommended. The DVD has a director's commentary. The book cover is from the film.
The book has more subplots and is a quick read (over 400 pages). The film in the book and film have different titles.
It's over. Yesterday was Stephen Colbert's last night.
It was also the last show of the CBS late-night show overall. There won't be repeats. They will immediately shift to a non-political comic show.
Multiple celebrities had cameos. There was some gimmick that supposedly six bananas were a retirement gift.
The final guest (who also sang "Hello Goodbye) was Paul McCarthy, who had that famous appearance over sixty years ago in the theater where Colbert had his show. Quite fitting, though he seemed a bit uncomfortable as the solo guest in a long-form way.
I DVR-ed it, and for whatever reason, it did not record the whole thing. It was about twenty minutes longer, and the DVR cut off at the normal end of the show. I saw what I missed online on YouTube.
The show was a tad indulgent, overdoing a metaphor of some wormhole who sucked that everything into it. They probably could have handled it with a normal length, especially since they included a "meanwhile" segment with at least one story that wasn't too topical.
Still, if it amused him, more power to him. I wish him well. I probably will check out Jimmy Kimmel a bit.
They had that short-lived comedy game show-like program after Stephen Colbert with a young woman comedian, who wanted to continue her stand-up full-time instead of continuing. It must have taken a lot of effort. They will now just have comedian stuff.
There are still two talk shows at 11:30 and one at 12:30, both with middle-aged white guys. Why can't they have some variety? John Oliver has a good show, but again, enough guys!
I'm sure you can find a lot of women in various contexts. But, unfortunately, none of these talk shows entrusted a woman for any length of time (Joan Rivers once had a short-lived show). The late-night talk show might be on the way out, but this is still a problem.
(We did have a black host once upon a time.)
I enjoyed Stephen Colbert, though I think he didn't take enough risks. The show was a bit bland. Also, watching was often a matter of liking the guests.
Basically, he seems like a nice guy with good values, with a wickedly funny side. We saw that more on his old show, but it showed up here, too.
He will have a small voice role on a Star Trek television show. He's co-writing a Lord of the Rings screenplay with his son. He will find something else to do, maybe after taking time off.
One possibility is a longer form conversation format like Conan O'Brien and others do. He can show his musical theater side. He might do some drama.
I think he will be fine. The overall annoying thing is that the network didn't find a way to end things on a nicer note. Colbert might still be angry because he didn't trust their reasons. But it seems gratuitous.
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Their Finesttells the story of a British Ministry of Information film team making a morale-boosting film about the Dunkirk evacuation during the Battle of Britain and the London Blitz. It's based on a book.
Gemma Arterton is the lead, and she's great. I rewatched the DVD and enjoyed it. I will eventually see if I like re-reading the book.
I also rewatched Walking on Sunshine, which uses 1980s songs to tell a story. Arterton's sister plays one of the leads. Fun film.
I referenced this film about six years ago. The video I used is blocked. I summarized:
Up Channel has "new" films on Sunday nights at 7/11 that are actually not new but promoted as new. For a few weeks now, the picks have been overall pretty good.
This week, we had a city girl, not much into God, come to help her old mother-in-law (as in ex -- the hubby cheated on her) move after the father-in-law died. She falls for the new minister, whose deceased wife was her sister-in-law.
Thus, the punny title. Various familiar faces, including two people in current shows and two from old shows. It has light touches mixed with a lot of serious content.
Well-acted, with the story pretty well paced too. Sorta topical.
The film was a Regents University production. The DVD behind-the-scenes extra talks about that, including how film students were involved.
Its website offers:
Experience the difference of America’s Premier Christian University that offers over 150 areas of study online and on campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
"Christian" means a variety of things. The film promotes an open-minded view. After all, the minister might be a widower, but the other love interest is a divorcee.
At one point, her ex comes back pretending to want to reunite. He claims to be reformed. It is a trick. Some Christians would find that troublesome. Why not make it a redemption story and save her from the evils of divorce?!
She asks a lot of questions about the Bible and religion in the film. The film cheats a bit by not providing too many answers to her questions.
Yes, how do you know you chose the right religion? Yes, how did Job getting a new family really help him after his old one all died?
The film does know that a "message" film should first be a good film. The Bible is filled with stories that teach us. They are also enjoyable stories. They were passed down for more than their moral lessons.
I re-watched the film (at least for a third time) and still enjoyed it. The husband's coming back is a bit heavy-handed, but it is an understandable plot device. Got to earn that nice ending.
Still, I want to get past that and back to the pastor and his sister-in-law building a relationship. They are a good couple. And both are well-rounded, complex characters.
I used to keep track of and watch the Oscars. Now, I am barely familiar with some of the films. Instead, I read Daughter of Daring, which is not only a biography of a stuntwoman/actor, but a history of film and Hollywood (with a woman's focus) overall.
I have also read her Creature from the Black Lagoon book. Both are good. Down-to-earth style, while quite detailed. Fun footnotes.
ETA: One interesting tidbit is how cliffhanger serials and other films attracted women viewers as escapes and an example of women having agency, including for lower class women.
A retro channel shows "Blondie" films (1940s; there was also a couple of television series based on the comic strip, plus a radio show) each Saturday morning. I talked about this over the years.
The 28 films are of mixed quality. For whatever reason, one film is not shown in the rotation (about a "haunted" house). Blondie Plays Cupid is a good one.
The film is effectively a series of vignettes. It starts with the Fourth of July coming up. Blondie is not a fan of Dagwood and Baby Dumpling's fireworks.
She wants to go somewhere quiet. How about her relatives in the country? Some home and office scenes (where a plan to trick Dagwood backfires; the coworker involved is played by someone else in later films) take place.
Then, an amusing scene on the train, with a familiar face (the grumpy railroad executive on Petticoat Junction; the actor was in lots of character roles). Fans of old shows and films will see other familiar faces throughout the series.
The busy film then shifts to the country, where a young Glenn Ford offers them a ride. That's where the title drop comes in -- he has fallen in love with the neighbor's daughter, but the father opposes the match. The justice of the peace gives an amusing performance.
More hijinks and things end (as they always do) happily. The film is well-paced and well-written, with the interrelated scenes fitting together nicely.
One amusing bit of the "I see what they did there" variety involves Baby Dumpling winding up in a haystack after a joyride. Something is poking him. Turns out to be a needle. In a haystack.
There is also a cute final joke. The last bit involves something that would be rather serious (painful burns) if we took it seriously. The Wikipedia page at the moment somewhat misleadingly notes how things wound up. They don't simply enjoy the end of their vacation peacefully in the country.
The films have various expected components, including the postman getting hit by Dagwood (the film has a twist, including him having a chance to get Dagwood back) during an early scene involving the family having breakfast. The smart aleck neighborhood kid usually gets involved somehow.
Dagwood bumbles a lot, which at some point is a bit tedious. There is also some stereotypical Blondie stuff, including a bit too many scenes of her being jealous or upset (often arising from some misunderstanding) for some reason. She is not as sexy looking as in the comic strip.
Blondie started as a flapper-type character, while Dagwood was a rich man's son who gave up his money out of love. The films skip that backstory.
The strips, at least when I read them much later, also had them being close friends with their neighbors. This film has Blondie talking to the wife on the phone. Most of the films, however, skip them, and one late film has the neighbors annoyed at Dagwood.
The family grows over the decade or so of the films. "Baby Dumpling" becomes Alexander. And, they have a daughter named Cookie. The boss is "J.C" Dithers, though he is replaced later in the series except for the last film. That is, Julius Caesar Dithers.
It released its March argument schedule, which includes April 1 (birthright citizenship). See also, some of the anti-BC briefs.
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Today's Groundhog's Day and this is Black History Month. I briefly talk about that here with further links with more info.
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I watched Ted Lasso (first five episodes) on DVD around five years after most people. It does have charms, especially such a positive lead, which we need in these times.
The two primary women (owner and girlfriend of a player) characters are well played. There are so many shows these days on so many platforms of which I see nearly none.
