There were at least two or three church signs that I saw while driving around earlier this evening, that had something negative to say about Halloween. Now, to be sure, Halloween used to be a time when the Druids sacrificed virgins to their heathen gods. How we went from that to giving out a bar of Snickers to kiddies is a whole nother discussion. But let's face it: Halloween as it's practiced today is not evil. It has nothing to do with evil. In fact, I think that celebrating Halloween is actually a very much Christian thing to do: we aren't supposed to be in fear of darkness. We're supposed to be triumphant over it. When we cringe in fear over a thing, we're letting that thing have power over us when it has no right to. So put on a costume (I've been wearing my Jedi getup all day) and get in the spirit. Have some fun with Halloween, instead of cowering in fear of it.
Monday, October 31, 2005
We watched Coach Carter and Fat Albert over the weekend
Coach Carter came via Netflix. Samuel L. Jackson plays Ken Carter, who took a basketball coaching job at Richmond High School in California, then benched the entire team - that boasted an undefeated winning streak - because of poor grades. One of Jackson's best roles, I thought. Really good movie for you to check out if you haven't already.
Then last night Lisa and I watched Fat Albert on HBO. And it's a surprisingly good movie. It's a "cute" lil' flick: maybe not Coach Carter calibre but still worth catching at least once. The premise is that Fat Albert and his gang escape from their cartoon world and come into the real one to help a girl solve some problems. There's a nice twist regarding the girl and the grandfather she often mentions, and the final scene is really touching. Kenan Thompson pulls off a great Fat Albert, as do the rest of the cast. If there's anything to complain about, it's that the animated segments aren't done in the style of the classic 70's tv show, but instead that "fake 3D" style that's been around since the mid-90's or so. The Russell of the movie sounds nothing like the Russell of the original series. But these are really minor quibbles. Watch it sometime if you want something light and entertaining.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Biking the Virginia Creeper
Yesterday Lisa and I joined some friends for a bike trip on the Virginia Creeper Trail in southwestern Virginia. It was a seventeen-mile ride from the top of Whitetop Mountain on the North Carolina border, then west along the Tennessee state line to the half-way point of the trail in Damascus, Virginia. It was a good trip through some beautiful countryside, made all the more epic because my MP3 player was going through the entire soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings. I was sure the trip was going to end somewhere deep inside Return of the King's music but we ended up rolling into the bike rental place with "Isengard Unleashed" from The Two Towers, much shorter trip than I expected. We may go back and do the lower half of the trail sometime this coming spring.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Kyle Williams weighs in on Plamegate
Young master Kyle Williams continues to wield his considerable grasp of things with his essay this week, this one on the CIA leak inquiry.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Hollywood gets exorcism all wrong
Well, AMC just had a show about the impact that The Exorcist has had in the three decades since it first came out. I first saw this movie back in 1999 and... well, how should I put this...?
Okay, The Exorcist is a good movie but it gets some things wrong. Like, I mean ALL wrong.
Real confrontation with demons isn't some ritual you follow from a book. Ceremonial prayer doesn't really do anything. Neither can you just throw "holy water" at it and think it's gonna burn the thing like battery acid. In fact you will probably make it laugh at you for trying that.
You never tell it your name. You don't even ask IT for its name. Yes, it has one but you are not interested in what its name is, period. You don't answer anything it asks of you. You close your ears to it no matter what it tells you. You DO NOT dwell upon any kind of knowledge or prophecy it screams at you. I can't emphasize that point nearly enough. It can tell you how you're going to die but you have to deafen your ears and mind to that. Else you obsess with that and then you’re no good to anyone who’s involved in this with you.
Now, some things the movies do get right, like when it's talking in some other language, but don't expect to be able to translate it. I'm just saying it can do that is all. But do not expect for it to make someone's head turn a full 360 degrees like Linda Blair's did. The inhabited person will sometimes display feats of strength not in proportion to sex or physical size, though.
A drop in ambient temperature has been reported in some cases, but in general this doesn't seem to happen very often.
Oh yeah and it does sometimes produce vomiting, so be ready for that.
There aren't too many people really strong enough to handle this sort of thing. If you aren't that strong, be somewhere else, okay?
I wonder if anyone in the film industry will ever make a movie about what fighting a demon is really like.
Where da heck is the KWerky website??
It occured to me this afternoon that we still don't have our website back up. There's a reason for that: both Ed and I have been pretty busy with other real-life things. Heck, Ed is getting married in a few months: I've been there, done that, know all about the stuff that goes into wedding planning. The website was previously on his own server, but since recently moving he hasn't had time to set it back up.
This doesn't mean that we haven't been working on KWerky Productions-related stuff though. So far my lil' "experimental filmmaking" project is going pretty well: we should have something to show for it by February. On the lighter side of things I'm thinking about filming EVERYTHING that goes into the fine art of deep-frying a turkey, and make a "how-to" video on that around Thanksgiving. It's the second most dangerous form of cooking known to man (after fugu preparation). We'll see if I can both run a camera and play with 350-degree boiling peanut oil simultaneously.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
20 years of Nintendo Entertainment System
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System. I remember seeing one for the first time in a Service Merchandise store not long after that, just before Christmas 1985. So many classic games that were played on that lil' unit. This deserves a fitting salute in the best way I know how...
To the NES UP-UP-DOWN-DOWN-LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT-B-A-START
My old hometown got a Wal-Mart Supercenter of its very own today
Reidsville - the benighted armpit of North Carolina - got a Wal-Mart Supercenter at 7 a.m. this morning. If you know anything about Reidsville, you're probably scratching your head about what it is exactly that makes this 'burg deserve a Wal-Mart, much less a Supercenter. This is considered such a big deal that there were high school bands brought in to play at the opening, in addition to most of the local politicians and whatever else showing up. Celebrating a Wal-Mart opening? That should tell you something.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
William Hootkins passes away
William Hootkins - forever known as Rebel pilot Porkins in the very first Star Wars movie - has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 58. In addition to his legendary role as Porkins, Hootkins did a lot of other good stuff: he was one of the U.S. intelligence agents that met Dr. Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. You might also remember him as playing that corrupt police lieutenant in Tim Burton's first Batman movie. Interesting trivia: the Rebel pilot costumes were one-size-fits-all, but Hootkins was WAY too big to fit into the outfit. His costume had to be cut in the back to accommodate for his enormous girth. He also happened to be wearing an R. Crumb "Keep On Trucking" t-shirt under the Rebel gear. And when he first heard that his character was named "Porkins" he thought that George Lucas was going to put a pig nose prosthetic on his face. A super nice guy who was taken much too soon. Thoughts and prayers going out to his family.Monday, October 24, 2005
I met Nicholas Sparks yesterday
Can't believe I forgot about this already. Sparks was at the local Barnes & Noble yesterday afternoon. Lisa has a copy of The Wedding that I took for him to sign. The store was packed with fans (mostly female). I've never read anything by Nicholas Sparks but I have seen the movies of A Walk to Remember and The Notebook. Anyway, he did a fifteen minute Q&A session then started signing copies of his newest book (the name of it escape me at the moment). I stood in line for two hours before getting to where he was sitting. We shook hands and he signed the book. He strikes me as being a super nice guy. He said this was a really "sweet" thing to do to get this for my wife :-) Anyway, just thought I'd make a mention of that, that I met Nicholas Sparks yesterday afternoon.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
"Anointed by God": The REAL reason why neo-conservatives want to attack Syria
I'm going to go ahead and speak the obvious...
The real reason why the neo-conservatives running the White House want to do something militarily with Syria has nothing to do with the United Nations investigative report implicating Syrian officials in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. That just happens to be a very convenient excuse.
You will never hear it mentioned in a presidential speech, but here it is...
There are too many people in this administration who want to attack Syria because they see themselves as fulfillers of biblical prophecy.
According to most adherents of the "pre-tribulation rapture" scenario, the next prophetic event that must happen before "Daniel's seventieth week" - AKA the Great Tribulation - begins is the coming to pass of Isaiah 17. The chapter that begins "An oracle concerning Damascus: 'See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins...'". So long as Damascus is still standing, the tribulation cannot come. It has to be knocked-over first.
I find it quite serious to believe that there are some in our government who believe they are "anointed" by God to be the agents that cause this to happen. Or perhaps that prophecy isn't unfolding as fast as it should so it needs a good "kick-start" to get it rolling.
Don't think for an instant that people like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and James Dobson have not contemplated that this might happen. They are probably even feverishly praying for it. Maybe even slyly encouraging their friends in the White House to consider doing this.
Believe me, I know what kind of mindset this is that we're talking about. I've dealt with them for most of my life. They have a really unhealthy obsession with the rapture. They focus on THAT more than they focus on God, if that makes any sense. Trust me: somewhere out there are people licking their chops at the possibility of the U.S. acting against Damascus. They want nothing less than the end of the world... and maybe a little credit for "helping" it come about.
There you have it: the true rationale for why Bush and his administration are wanting to go after Syria next. If no one else will say it, then I will.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Saw a pretty good movie today
We caught Just Like Heaven, with Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo and Jon Heder (the guy who played Napoleon Dynamite). From a guy's perspective, for a chick-flick it's a darned good movie. It has a nice twist to it that makes it NOT be the story you think it's about after watching it for awhile. I won't post any spoilers here though, go check it out for yourself, now or later when it hits DVD.
Speaking of DVD, we got Army of Darkness via Netflix today and finished watching it a little while ago. I think that Lisa much more preferred Just Like Heaven though: that movie made a little more sense to her than Ash's shenanigans :-)
Monday, October 17, 2005
New pen computer will FLY off the shelves
I saw a commercial for this a little while ago, went to the website and was absolutely astounded at what this lil' gimmick can do. It's the FLY Pentop Computer and it's gonna be one of the hottest selling items this Christmas, bank on it. Costs $99 bucks but you tell me: isn't it a pretty neat thing to be able to draw a picture of a calculator and then be able to use it? Or to draw a keyboard and play it? Wish we had stuff this neat to play with when I was a kid...
John Quincy Adams versus George W. Bush
Found this quote today and found it quite appropos regarding the state of America today:
"(America) does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once listing under other banners than her own, were they even banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force... She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit..."This was from a day when American presidents wrote their own words, instead of being written for them.-- John Quincy Adams, 1821
How did we get to this level, where we don't have leaders of this kind of caliber anymore?
Sunday, October 16, 2005
De Niro was thrown from this stage: A night at The Barn Dinner Theater
Last night Lisa and I joined my parents and sister (it's her birthday tomorrow, Happy Birthday Anita!) for dinner at a place that I've long been curious about but 'til now have never been to: The Barn Dinner Theater in Greensboro. The Barn, founded in 1962, is the oldest and longest-running dinner theater in America, and the last remaining from a chain that used to be 27 Barns from New York to Texas. Back in its early days the performance's cast not only acted on stage, they were the waiters and waitresses. I've known for many years already that Robert De Niro acted at The Barn for awhile (imagine that: Robert De Niro being your waiter for the evening!). Well some of the management told me last night that De Niro was also fired from The Barn one night, right in the middle of a show. Mickey Rooney and a few other well-known performers have also done gigs at The Barn, so this place has seen a little bit of history.How it works is that they open the doors to the dining room at 6 p.m., and a host escorts your party to your table. From there you help yourself to three buffet tables of really good gourmet cooking: I'm serious, the food at this place is delicious. Tastes like real home-made cooking like Granny used to make. I had the chicken (which wasn't fried and wasn't barbecued but it was really spicy, I've no idea how they cooked it) and barbecue (also spicy), green beans and corn, some kind of baked apples and a couple of biscuits, and for desert a slice of chocolate cake. Every bit of dinner was well worth the trip alone. But then came the show...
About 7:15 they started clearing the buffet tables away, and The Barn's emcee came out and did a round of birthdays (including Anita's), anniversaries, and one young lady who was proposed to by her boyfriend in front of everyone. After he finished the stage descended from the ceiling with a couple of props (two chairs) and the show was on. It was a two-act musical called Band of Angels, about the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and all the ghosts that haunt it. So there were characters like Hank Williams, Minnie Pearl, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash and wife June, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Ernie Tubb and Waylon Jennings, among others, talking and singing to this country rube named Buster who managed to get inside Ryman from the rain. I thought it was a pretty good tribute to not only these country performers who have gone on already, but to country and bluegrass music as an artform. All told, it was a wonderful evening spent with family in a really unique establishment. Band of Angels is playing at The Barn until November 22nd (it got held over for an extended engagement because it's proven to be so popular) so call The Barn Dinner Theater and make reservations now: it's well worth the trip. Or come later when they do shows (some even from Broadway) like Annie and Lend Me a Tenor. Heartily recommended. I give this place five stars.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Who to blame for everything that happened in The Godfather saga
It's the women.
AMC ran The Godfather Part II earlier today. It made me think of something that dawned on me the last time I saw Part III. You know who's somewhat to blame for this despicable, self-destructive situation that the Corleone family falls into? The womenfolk of the Corleone family, that's who.
Mama Corleone is the worst of the lot. She could have put a stop to this nonsense a long time ago. She could have talked Vito out of this spiralling madness. She did nothing. Did she even say anything over the course of the two movies she was in? Not a word that I can remember. She failed miserably in her role as wife and mother of the family: two sons murdered (one by brother Michael) because of "this Sicilian thing", a daughter who in the end was a murderer and a son who ends life a disgraced, bankrupted shell of a man. What kind of track record for rearing kids is that supposed to be? Don't tell me a wife has no pull even in a traditional family where the paterfamilias rules all: she could have at least protested to Vito before this all spun out of control. Instead she chose to not do anything at all. She didn't say a word to Sonny and Fredo about "Oh please don't get mixed up in this business that's killed so many people I can't stand to lose you too!" Did she even care?! What a wretched example of a wife and mom she was.
Then there's Connie. It's not so much her failure to act as it is her weakness to stand up and walk away that's the problem. She could have gotten married and lived happily ever after from the beginning of the first movie. When Carlo became abusive - and I wonder if Carlo got that way 'cuz he got corrupted by the family - she could have, should have, walked away then. She can't pull away. I don't think she really wants to pull away. That wasn't really that big of a fit she pitched at Michael at the end of Part I either: she's like the battered wife who just got beat up but she keeps coming back "because where else are you going to go?" In the end she turns out to be a killer just as much as Michael. She had her chances to leave this never-ending circle of vengeance but she chose not to take them. That, I think, only served to perpetuate what went wrong with this family.
Kay is trying. Lord knows, she is trying. It's not the family that she's so infatuated with, it's Michael. She believes he can be a good person, even years later when she re-enters his life at the beginning of Part III. She keeps wanting him to change, and when she fails she tries to take her children as far away from this insanity as she can. She should have tried it for herself. Look, there has to come a point when you realize that the person you love just isn't going to change. Who knows, if she had left Michael a long time before (like when she realized he was lying to her at the end of The Godfather) maybe that would have knocked some sense into Michael. A man can do most anything, change anything, when the woman he loves puts it all on the line. She didn't do that. She gave Michael no reason to change. She's guilty... but I still feel sorry for her.
Whatever anyone else says about it, Sofia Coppola was wonderful as Mary in The Godfather Part III. She made Mary come across as this sweet, beautiful girl... someone who should be as far removed from life in a Mafia family as possible. And when she's killed at the end of the movie it genuinely hurts: Michael's silent scream is probably the most perfectly captured moment of anguish on film ever. Nevertheless, I have to fault her, for kinda the same reasons I fault Connie and Kay. She seemed too tolerant of what her father is doing, too eager to see him as nothing but a good man. That, and she got WAY too cozy with her cousin, Vincent... who was hellbent on being the very kind of man that Michael was been trying (and failing) not to become. Didn't she see that? In her own way, Mary perpetuated the Corleones' circle of destruction. But like Kay, I feel sorry for her too.
The only major female in The Godfather trilogy who is really innocent is Apollonia. Did Michael ever share with her what drove him to come to Sicily? Probably not: whether he intended to go back to America or not, I've always felt like he really was trying to make a clean break from all of that at this point in his life. Apollonia was going to be part of that break. Instead she got blown to pieces, as one of the very few people in this entire tragedy who is entirely without blame. Her death is what sends Michael back to the world he had wanted no part of: with Apollonia gone, Michael has nothing left but the life he left behind.
But none of these women should ultimately be held responsible for all the carnage and travesty that comes to this family. Blame the brunt of it on the menfolk. They are the ones who could have chosen to walk away from this, but didn't. Still, had the women stepped in and done their best to put the brakes on things, a whole lot of people would still be alive in this story. But then, it wouldn't really be The Godfather at all, would it? :-)
Friday, October 14, 2005
Microsoft Windows at 20
PC Magazine has lengthy coverage of this coming month being the twentieth anniversary of the introduction of Microsoft Windows. Lots of good technical background and history here, going from the initial release up to Windows XP and the upcoming Vista.
