Category: General

Alan Rickman, Gone but not Forgotten

~ DLP

Alan Rickman.  You may recall him as Hans Gruber from the first Die Hard film.  More likely you remember him as Professor Severus Snape from the Harry Potter franchise.

You may not remember his lesser roles.  He chewed up the scenery as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Kevin Costner’s version of Robin Hood.  I’m pretty sure more casual fans will be unaware of his roles in Bottle Shock and CBGB.

In Bottle Shock, the true story of how Napa Valley became a player on the world’s wine stage, Rickman plays Steven Spurrier, a British ex-pat and wine snob who concocts a scheme in the form of a blind wine tasting contest comparing California wines to French.  Chris Pine and Bill Pullman also star.  It’s a charming little film that I have watched many times.  It does a great job of creating 1980’s Napa (I lived not far from there for a long time).  Rickman has some very funny moments.  If you’re a “wino” like me (I love “wine” movies like this one and Sideways), you’ll find this one very entertaining.

CBGB is another true story.  This one is about the “Godfather of Punk,” Hilly Kristal (played by Rickman).  Kristal is—for lack of a better term—a loser, living in NYC.  He buys a seedy dive bar and calls it “CBGB” (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues), but (at least in the film anyway) never features a single artist from any of those genres.  Instead, his first act is a punk band called Television.  As an interesting side-note, I hear their song called “Marquee Moon,” which is featured in the film on the Classic Alternative station on Amazon’s music streaming service (here’s a live version of it on YouTube: Television – Marquee Moon (Live) 1984).  From there, things take off and we see a who’s who of Punk and early Alternative bands from the late 70s and early 80s including Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith, The Ramones, and The Police, among others.  Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley of Harry Potter fame) plays a member of The Dead Boys, another seminal punk band that Kristal himself decides to manage.  If you like little indie films and are generally just a Rickman fan, you’ll like this one too.  All the more if you love Alt music like I do.

I was deeply saddened when we lost Mr. Rickman.  He was a superb actor and his contributions to American cinema will endure forever.

Credit to respective owners for the images used in this post.

Two Dead Guys…

~ DLP

Know these guys? I consider them both great actors.  Both started acting later in life (both began acting in their 40s).  While Thompson lived to age 73, which I consider to NOT be very old, Walsh died of a heart attack at age 54.

Both of these actors made films that I love.  Both of them have lengthy filmographies (see their respective Wikis).  Fred Thompson also had a long political career.  Both have NUMEROUS films and TV shows I have not seen.  No doubt, people will like other films of theirs than I do.  But you know what they say, “opinions are like a-holes, everybody’s got one.”

Fred Thompson   8/19/1942 – 11/1/2015 (age 73)
Wiki:  Fred Thompson – Wikipedia
Acting career 1985-2016, also had long career in politics
Film Roles:  33 (also had extensive television career)
Notable films:  The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard 2

Fred Thompson made two films that I really like (your opinion may differ).  I loved The Hunt for Red October.  Thompson played a rear admiral in command of the Enterprise Carrier Group.  He often played persons in positions of authority, or politicians, possibly because he was one (Thompson was a US State Senator, an attorney, and ran for President).  In Die Hard 2, Thompson plays the Dulles International Airport air traffic director, believably.  My love for this film is partly based on my greater love of the first Die Hard.  This one has an inferior script and has Bruce Willis’ character uttering some pretty stupid one-liners, probably in an attempt to seem more like the first film.  Someday maybe I’ll hunt for some of his other films on various streaming platforms, or not.  Thompson was mostly a supporting actor who brought gravitas to the films he worked in.  Many of his films are just not my thing.  Interestingly, he played himself in a couple of films that are based on real events.  He was even involved in the Watergate trials.

J.T. Walsh  9/28/1943 – 2/27/1998 (age 54)
Wiki:  J. T. Walsh – Wikipedia
Acting career:  1983-1998
Films Roles:  52
Notable films:  Good Morning Vietnam, Needful Things, Pleasantville

J.T. Walsh was always fun to watch.  It’s Christmastime as I write this, and I recently re-watched the remake of Miracle of 34th Street in which he plays the state prosecuting attorney trying to get Santa committed to an asylum.  He’s great in that role.  One of my favorites of his films was Good Morning Vietnam.  In it, Walsh plays Sergeant Major Phillip Dickerson, who supervises the activities of an Armed Forces Radio crew.  He is hilariously stoic and occasionally terrifying in this role, especially in comparison to Robin Willams’ rapid fire, loose-cannon wit.  Bruno Kirby is also excellent in this film as the straight-laced-to-a-fault Lieutenant Steven Hauk.  Needful Things, based on a Stephen King novel, is overall a lesser film and was not very well reviewed, but if you like King’s stuff you’ll probably like it.  Walsh is fun to watch in it.  Pleasantville is another really good film Walsh was in.  I encourage you to watch all of these movies if you haven’t seen them. These two actors packed a lot of work into their acting careers and there are some gems in there.

Comments on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

~ DLP

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Dial_of_Destiny

I have been a fan since the very first film.  I have enjoyed all of them to varying degrees.  It would be hard to rank them.  I think I like Raiders and Last Crusade the most.  Temple of Doom less, but it was still fun.  Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had some elements I thought were ridiculous (like surviving a nuclear blast and being launched hundreds of feet through the air in a refrigerator), and I had some mixed feelings about the ET ending, but still, overall a good film.

The setup I thought we were entering into was possibly a passing of the hat to Shia LaBeouf after the marriage of Indy to Marion at the end of 4.  Evidently, LaBeouf made negative comments about the film (that, from what I can find were mostly self-critical, but I’m sure I haven’t seen everything) after 4 was released.

The setup we wind up with is Indy globe-trekking with his goddaughter played by actress Phoebe Waller Bridge racing to recover the Dial of Destiny, a 2000 year old machine that can supposedly detect time rifts with precision.  The opening scenes are in familiar WWII territory with Indy being led through a Nazi train with a bag over his head.  The eventual “reveal” shows us a CGI Indy face that I initially thought was pretty dang good.  We’re all so familiar with Ford’s face that it HAD to be a great rendering.  However, in the numerous subsequent action scenes, some of which I believe were fully CGI, Indy doesn’t look as good.  Close-up shots look less life-like.  CGI rendering of actual persons is definitely improving and I believe we will reach a point where it will be so good we won’t be able to distinguish live actors from CGI. This will present legal issues of its own.  We ain’t there yet.

Mads Mikkelsen plays a decent Nazi villain (despite actually being Danish).  We see him at the top of the film in the WWII period as well (CGI’d up).  He is hell bent on acquiring the whole device (it was deliberately broken into two pieces by its creator to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands).  His intention is to travel back in time to kill Hitler in order to ensure an Axis victory (yeah, he blames Hitler for losing the war).

John Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah.  Sadly, he is looking very old indeed.

In this film, Indy is a mostly broken man.  His son volunteered to go off and fight (presumably in the Koren war?  I don’t think it was actually mentioned specifically).  This is too much for Marion to bear as I guess Indy reminds her too much of her son so she wants a divorce.  They are on the outs through most of the film.  He is mostly going through the motions of life these days and this adventure reawakens his spirit.

Indy’s goddaughter is very knowledgeable about the device but is only interested in acquiring the whole thing in order to sell it.  Eventually, she comes around, but her character is morally murky for much of the film.  Not a bad thing.  She and Indy become reluctant partners on this quest.

The action and pacing of this movie is similar to other Indiana Jones films.  For me, the “worst” aspect of it was some of the CGI.

In the last five minutes of the movie, after the device has been recovered and Indy & Co. have looped back 2000 years in time and back again and with Indy recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest, Karen Allen (Marion Ravenswood, or should I say Jones now) FINALLY makes an appearance.  It made me well up.  She is such an important part of the fabric of Indiana Jones.  I wish she had been in all five films, but it was very gratifying to see her on-screen with Ford again.  They sort of reprised the scene from Raiders where they were on the ship trying to transport the Ark back to the US.  Indy is battered and bruised and says he hurts everywhere.  Marion asks him where he doesn’t hurt and he points to his elbow.  They do this again in Indy’s apartment and I thought that was a great way to close things out.

Knowing this is the last Indiana Jones film saddens me.  Partly because, well, we love Indy and just hate to see it end, but also because it reminds me of my own mortality.  I’m experiencing the same thing with Star Trek.  I think the only core cast members left from ST, TOS are Shatner and Walter Koenig (Chekov).  These beloved characters we (or at least I) grew up with are dropping like flies.  Ford, for being 80, is in amazing shape and it’s my understanding he did many of his own stunts filming Dial of Destiny. Right on the heels of watching this movie, I watched a documentary on Disney+ about Harrison Ford and his career (with a focus on the Indiana Jones films).  Many of the interviews took place on the set of Dial of Destiny with Ford and other cast.  I love documentaries about actors and their films.  Ford appears to be a genuine guy who is a ton of fun to work with, but who is also serious about making films the best they can be.

Confessions of a Disney Fan

~ DLP

Where to begin… 

The History

I have been a Disney fan in one form or another for as long as I can remember.  As a child, I was introduced to Disney on classic animated films like Peter Pan, Snow White & the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella (still one of my favorites to this day), The Jungle Book, and others.  Live action films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Swiss Family Robinson, and a host of Disney family films like Parent Trap, The Love Bug, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, and many others. Then we had The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, hosted by Walt himself.  The Mickey Mouse Club, and TV series, like Daniel Boone (which I own on DVD).  I developed an emotional connection to all this material in my formative years and I still love it all today.  As Disney’s entertainment products evolved, I was right there with it and have seen the creative evolution of the company and its progress into the digital realm with the acquisition of Pixar and have really loved the amazing content they have created.  Disney Animation Studios has also created some amazing films like Wreck-It Ralph, Meet the Robinsons, and probably my favorite of theirs, Moana.  Moana was a double whammy for me because it speaks to me on multiple levels, my love of Hawaii and Hawaiian culture and music, and great storytelling.  Then came the acquisition of Marvel, which adds another dimension to Disney, which also speaks to my heart and my childhood.  I read many Marvel comics during my teenage years and most of the titles I followed have been brought to the big screen using incredible special effects.  The entirety of these volumes of entertainment keeps me emotionally connected to Disney.

The Parks

My first visit to Disneyland was in July of 1977.  It was a tiny part of a larger Southern California vacation with my family and a visiting relative (I was 16 at the time) and we spent only one day in the park.  My parents were not really fans and to them it was just a visit to a crowded theme park, and if I’m being honest, I barely remember it.  It was over 20 years before I would make it back, returning in 1998 with my partner at that time.  For the first time I truly appreciated the “magic” of Disney and being fully immersed in The Happiest Place on Earth.  I was present for that first walk down Main Street and soaked up the magic there.  I visited at least once per year continuously from that point on until 2016 when my life circumstances changed, and I really couldn’t afford to sustain that.  During that time, I came to appreciate the things that set Disney parks apart from, and above, everyone else.  Yes, they have us all by our emotional heartstrings, but above and beyond that, Disney maintains a very clean house.  I was amazed at how clean the parks really are.  In the wake of a Disney parade, a squad of janitorial staff are right there cleaning up the discarded trash, spilled popcorn, gum, liquid spills, and all other manners of refuse in minutes and before you know it, it’s as if the parade never happened.  I love that!  I have always felt safe at a Disney Park.  My children have practically grown up at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure.  We all know Disneyland and DCA like the backs of our hands.  Just ask me where the nearest restroom is. Go ahead, ASK!  I have been fortunate enough to also visit the Walt Disney World Resort multiple times.  Both US resorts (and I’m counting the WDW resort as a resort and the DL/DCA complex as a resort) have unique appeal but…

Confession #1

My first confession is that I prefer Disneyland to “The World.”  While Disneyland has the challenge of limited real estate, that has had mixed results.  On the one hand, it’s difficult for them to expand and add new attractions without bulldozing old ones, or jackhammering existing asphalt being used for parking (and going vertical with parking structures).  And on the other hand, this space limitation has resulted in a more cohesive park space and an easier-to-navigate experience for guests.  So, I’d say I like Disneyland better because it is easier to get around in and to park hop back and forth to DCA, AND because I just have so many memories there.

Confession #2

After all the gushing I have done up to this point about how great the entertainment content is and how much I love the parks. This may be hard to believe, but for me, the magic is fading.  It is doing so because the bean counters seem to be in charge at Disney (and this has been in-effect since before the brief Bob Chapek era during which things got even worse).  Guests have seen park prices rise on an annual basis at all levels (single park tickets, hoppers, and annual passes) for many years now.  I’m pretty sure it was Walt’s intention that Disneyland and WDW be an affordable vacation destination for middle income families.  This is no longer the case.  Before Disney did away with their Annual Pass program (at least by that name), the Premium level AP was around $2200.00 per person.  Seriously!  I recently (in December of this year) spent nearly $700 for a single day in one WDW park and an overnight hotel stay at a non-Disney property for two people.  $159 per person for park admission.  And that is without splurging on Lightning Lane (Disney’s relatively new pay-per-ride system to avoid waiting in long ride queues).  This has turned “standby” lines into truly “stand by and wait” lines.  Even in shorter standby queues, so many are paying for lightning lane access that the traditional standby waits have increased dramatically.  Guests do not realize that in making this program such a financial success for Disney, they are guaranteeing that it will never go away.  Don’t misunderstand me. I’m a Capitalist.  I completely understand that first and foremost, Disney is a business and must be profitable, but Disney has, in my opinion, crossed the line into the greedy zone.  Everyone expects to pay more at resorts when on vacation, but I now feel gouged every time I visit a park.

Hope for a Better Tomorrow

With Chapek’s ouster and Bog Iger back at the helm of the massive Disney ship, and with his promise that control will be returned to the creatives at the company, I hold some hope that we will see paring back of the radical monetization that has occurred during the last nearly three years (under Chapek).  I still expect that Disney Park ticket prices will continue to rise regularly (but maybe every other year instead of every year!).  I’d love to see them return to the free FastPass program.  It worked great and helped guests to get the most out of their park visit.  I dearly want to hold onto the magic for as long as I can.  Disney has been a huge part of my life to this point (I’m 61 as I write this), and I don’t want to lose that.  Thanks for reading.

Star Trek, Enterprise; My Review

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As a life-long Star Trek fan, I have watched all of the various series with the exception of the two currently available on CBS, All-Access; Discovery, and Picard. I just can’t bring myself to subscribe to CBS’ paid TV on the strength of Star Trek alone. If they ever land on Netflix, I’ll binge the hell out of them.

Right now, I’m revisiting Enterprise. I didn’t even get through season one on my first attempt because I had some issues with it going in. One of these issues was the main lead, Captain Jonathan Archer, competently portrayed by Scott Bakula. In my prior experience with Trek, the Captains had all been–to me at least–relative unknowns. Sure, they had achieved some level of fame, but I was largely unfamiliar with them when they landed on Trek. Patrick Stewart, an experienced Shakespearean actor was only known to me through his role in a B-grade Sci-fi film called “Lifeforce” and the much more well-known “Excalibur.” The same with Avery Brooks, who portrayed Captain Benjamin Sisko on ST, Deep Space Nine. I knew him from Vega$, but that was it. Scott Bakula, however, was very well known for his long-running TV series, Quantum Leap. I can’t really explain why it bugged me, but it did. The other issue I had with Enterprise is that it’s a prequel occurring before the original Star Trek series, but was made with far superior special effects. To me, this made it less believable because the “technology” was older than what we saw in the original series, but it LOOKED much, much better. Anyway, this is just me unable to suspend my disbelief about a sci-fi show. Pay me no mind. =P Fast forward to a few weeks ago. ST, Enterprise is now streaming on Netflix so I gave it another go, AND I LOVE IT! Bakula and Co. do an excellent job almost right out of the gate. I can recall during season 1 of Star Trek, The Next Generation, noticing how wooden the performances of the cast were, all of them. But as the show progressed, they all improved, each of them finding their characters. Another thing about Enterprise I love is that you really get your money’s worth. They produced a TON of episodes, over 20 per season. Compare that to the measly 7 or 8 you got per season from Game of Thrones. Seriously, I feel that some of the episodes are rather derivative of the original series (and possibly others), but they are well written, well acted and have excellent FX. Who knew the crew of the NX-01 would save the universe and make friends with the Antarans all before Kirk ever set foot on his Enterprise. Thanks for reading.

Blog 1: Nonsensical BS

~ DLP

I’m going to preface this with a few comments. What you are about to read is the product of my brief cranial musings after following the instructions of an e-book on blogging. Please don’t judge me too harshly. =]

Will anyone read this? I doubt it. Just sitting here, thinking about what I should write. I feel like I have something to say, but I don’t know what. I like sharing my opinion on things I like, like movies, music and other entertainment. I’m an Atheist and that is a huge can of worms. I’m a Libertarian and there’s another controversial aspect to me that is usually met with negativity. Here’s the kicker; I think Ayn Rand was a genius. I’m seeing many of the things she wrote in Atlas Shrugged coming to pass today. And yet, she is vilified and hated and attacked viciously. People I encounter on social media claim to know her work and dismiss her (but not before they mount a vicious attack on her, and by extension, me). I feel these people do not have a realistic grasp of what Capitalism is, or any clue as to what “rational selfishness” means. Everyone thinks they are an expert on philosophy. I also think I have a story in me. There is my personal story, certainly. I’m 58 now, so that story is a bit long, but I’m talking about a fictional story. Maybe one that blends fantasy with Randian objectivist ideals?