Design for Living (1933)

The plot in a nutshell: Three young, struggling, American artists are trying to make a living in Paris: Fredric March as Tom Chambers, Gary Cooper as George Curtis and Miriam Hopkins as Gilda Farrell.
Both of the men become romantically involved with Gilda.
Tom and George have been friends for many years and the romance threatens to break them up. This is unacceptable. The solution:
All work and no play. They call this their “gentleman's agreement”. Instead of hanky panky all their energies are to go into the MEN’S work. ( It was a given that the woman’s work had no merit and was not worth improvement!!) The woman’s role in the men's work was that of a ham fisted critic, all stick, no carrot. Funny

The art of both men progressed. Each man had a variety of successes.
But does the "gentleman's agreement" work? Well, Gilda was "no gentleman".

The Three Faces of Eve, 1957

Ralph White to Eve White: I've never seen you take a drink before.
Eve Black to Ralph: Honey, there are a lot of things you've never seen me do before. That's no sign I don't do 'em.

I have been watching "My Own Worst Enemy". In the show Christian Slater plays "Henry" who works for some kind of terrorist organization, perhaps the government. Not clear.

The part of the show that interests me is Slater's split personality. In his brain a chip has been implanted giving him two distinct personalities: "Henry", an assassin spy type and "Edward"; an ordinary guy complete with his own memories, life and reality. When working properly the brain chip switches his awareness to one or the other personality.

An intriguing idea. Story telling aside, is it truly possible to have more than one personality?

"The Three Faces of Eve" is supposed to be based on a true story about a woman suffering from "split personality". Joanne Woodward plays Eve White, Eve Black and Jane. Her transitions between the three personalities are similar to Henry and Edward's. There is a dizzy spell followed by an extremely brief black out and then "poof" they are switched.

The title to this as well as Joanne's portrayal suggests to me that Eve was one personality. The different Eves and Jane are well but separately developed "facets" of that one personality.

This interpretation does not upset my apple cart. There can't really be two personalities in our heads, can there?
I know, I know, make some popcorn...

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956

"In my practice, I've seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn't seem to mind...All of us - a little bit - we harden our hearts, grow callous. Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us, how dear." Dr. Miles J. Bennell

This movie has a theme that pops up in science fiction thriller type movies: Earth is invaded, usually by creatures from outer space. Although monstrous the creatures are able to assume a human guise in order live among Earthlings without detection. The invaders purpose is generally the domination of Earth although they sometimes just want to study us. Usually one person knows the frightening truth. But in trying to reveal the truth that character at best discredits himself. At the worst, he is put into a straight jacket. For the truth is always too fantastical to be believed. The "good guy" is usually alone in his struggles; betrayed by those closest to him. Few things could be more horrifying than looking into the familiar eyes of a loved one only to discover an alien enemy.

Keven McCarthy plays Dr. Miles J. Bennell. He is the guy who is wise to the situation; trying to be believed while running from aliens.
Dana Wynter plays Becky Driscoll; his ankle twisting female interest. She was the one person Dr. Bennell trusted; the only other person whose body had not been "snatched".

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" lives up the the name "thriller". It digs down into that lower part of my brain, past reason, and strikes a cord of fear. It never fails to give me goosebumps. I first saw "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in a movie theater. It was the 1978 version with Donald Sutherland.
Walking home I noticed other people on the sidewalks walked wooden legged, vacant eyed. They did not talk to one another. (I am sure that is what I saw!) The street lights cast lurid shadows on all their faces. Horrible!

Homer: "I suppose you want to probe me. Well, might as well get it over with. unzips pants.."
Kang: "Stop!! We have reached the limits of what rectal probing can teach us."
The Simpsons "Tree House of Horror VII".

Death Becomes Her, 1992

Madeline: Do you know that they do to soft, bald, overweight Republicans in prison, Ernest?

I have revisited a witch story and a ghost story. Time for a monster story; a monster of the green eyed variety... bwa ha ha

Madeline Ashton, played by Meryl Streep and Helen Sharp played by Goldie Hawn, envy one another. They fawn over one another with cool smiles and pleasant words. Inside they each seeth with envy never missing an opportunity to one-up the other. Over the years Madeline Ashton has successfully wooed and stolen away each of Helen Sharp's men.

Helen is thinking of marriage to Dr. Ernest Menville played by Bruce Willis. Does Helen say "woo hoo!" go and be happy with Menville?

NO!, of course not. What fun would that be? Helen decides that her dear Ernest must pass the "Madeline Ashton test" before she will marry him. Monstrously naive for a man of his accomplishments, Ernest fails the test most miserably- for all concerned.

Madeline is an actress whose popularity seems to be slipping away. For some reason she never suspects her acting ability to be the cause. Instead she blames her wrinkles and liver spots. She figures marriage to her "best friend's" man will be just the thing to sooth her ego. And oh yeah, I should mention that Earnest happens to be an extremely skillful plastic surgon...

The phrase "I'd sell my soul for..." is wistfully tossed about by the characters. The women are tempted by lasting beauty and Ernest by lust.

Isabella Rossellini plays Lisle Von Rhoman; a dark, powerful temptress whose bare boobies are covered by mesmerizing strands of beads. Lisle sells or trades eternal beauty to souls able and willing to pay her price. She lives in a castle-like mansion surrounded by lightening pierced "dark and stormy nights". She forgot to mention:

Lisle: "Now, a warning."
Madeline: "NOW a warning?"
Lisle: (to Ernest) "SEMPRE VIVE! LIVE FOREVER!"

What Dreams May Come, 1998

...And for my soul, what can it (suicide) do to that,
Being a thing immortal as itself?... From Shakespeare's Hamlet

The title of this comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet; that soliloquy which starts:
"To be or not to be".
Hamlet is contemplating suicide, weighing the pros and cons; the cons being mostly an unknown factor.

I imagine just about everyone wonders what is beyond this life. Eventually most are able to see it as a mystery and thus avoid turning into a Woody Allen character; stewing over death, the expansion of the universe and other things over which we have no control...

"What Dreams May Come" is adapted from a book of the same name by Richard Matheson.
Among many others it stars: Robin Williams as Chris Nielsen, Annabella Sciorra as Chris's wife Annie, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Albert Lewis and Max von Sydow as The Tracker.

Chris and Annie are beautiful people, very much in love who suffer a tragic loss. The story relates to the consequences of their reactions to the loss. Their separate choices determine their separate destinies in both this life and in the after life.

Some interesting parallel themes between "Hamlet" and "What Dreams May Come":
-suicide "...For in that sleep of death what dreams may come..." Shakespeare
-ghosts or spirits
-immortality
-defying hell
-multiple calamities
"What Dreams May Come" in addition, embraces the theme of the transformative power of love. It emphasizes our power to choose and to accept consequences; not what happens to us but how we react.

It is a beautiful picture of one man's heaven.

..."We defy augury; there's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all."...
Shakespere's Hamlet

The Witches of Eastwick, 1987

"Do you think God knew what He was doing when He created woman? Huh? No shit. I really wanna know. Or do you think it was another one of His minor mistakes like tidal waves, earthquakes, FLOODS? You think women are like that? S'matter? You don't think God makes mistakes? Of course He does. We ALL make mistakes. Of course, when WE make mistakes they call it evil. When GOD makes mistakes, they call it... nature. So whaddya think? Women... a mistake... or DID HE DO IT TO US ON PURPOSE?"
Daryl Van Horne


This movie is adapted from a book of the same name by John Updike.
Besides popcorn and your usual movie fare, have some cherries on hand to snack on while you watch this movie. Out of season no doubt. How about cherry pie, chocolate covered or...

The witches: Cher as Alexandra Medford, Susan Sarandon as Jane Spofford and Michelle Pfeiffer as Sukie Ridgemont. Jack Nicholson stars as Daryl Van Horne, presumably the Devil.

The witches are each creative women. Susan Sarandon plays a musician, Cher plays a sculptor and Michelle Pfeiffer a writer. They are good friends and enjoy evenings together sharing snacks, gossip and a very special bond: it seems whenever they focus on the same desire the thing they long for materializes.
On an evening when talk turns to men each adds to a wish list of qualities they would like to see in the ideal male. As they are all wishing together, poof! Enter Jack Nicholson.
He seems alternately bumbling and terrifying as he sets out to seduce each of the witches.
Interestingly, each woman’s talent (and hair!) blossoms after a romp with the big D. The Devil is intent on producing an heir. When the witches discover his intentions they make some plans of their own.

Why does the Devil need an heir you ask? I dont know, eat your popcorn!

This movie left me with some things to ponder:
Why three witches? Never two or five but three?
Why does sex with the Devil give a woman really big hair?
And finally, the idea of gaining creative genius through a deal with the devil pops up now and then in books and movies. Where did it start?

The Greatest Show on Earth, 1952

A very few of the stars: Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Dorothy Lamour...
The list goes on.

My grandmother always got a dreamy look when she told us grandchildren about the circus. She said when the farm children heard the circus trains they tied their coins in handkerchiefs, “climbed on their ponies and galloped over the hill”. They ate peanuts, popcorn and cotton candy which Grandma made sound like food for gods.

I am reading “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen and wanting to remember more of what Grandma said about the circus. There is a movie for everything, I believe.
The Greatest Show on Earth is partly a documentary. The movie shows some of the set up: the center poles being set, the canvas being unrolled and raised and the loaded trains.
It mentions the class distinction of laborers and performers: “stardust and sawdust”

The movie also tells a story with “three rings” of plot:
Two overlapping romantic triangles
a (very) friendly professional competition
and the survival of the circus against a crummy economy and shadowy but ever present con artists who follow the circus like parasites.

The documentary parts are interesting. And I enjoyed both the movie actors drama as well as the “real” circus performances which are interwoven. And the locals are interesting too. Read the signs the crowd carries and on the buildings of their towns. Also, watch the audiences carefully. I believe I saw Bob Hope and Bing Crosby looking up in slack jawed awe. There are many other familiar faces!

umm, I can smell the popcorn and a subtle whiff of elephant poo. Enjoy this great movie.

Coneheads (1993)

The Coneheads came from the planet of Remulak to conquer and dominate the Bluntskulls: also known as Earthlings.
But an encounter with defensive fighter pilots forces the Conehead ship down. The Coneheads must now make a new plan: contact their home plant and “blend in” with Earthlings while waiting for rescue.
Dan Aykroyd plays Beldar Conehead with the purchased identity of Donald R. DeCicco
Jane Curtin plays Prymatt Conehead , Mary Margaret DeCicco
Michelle Burke plays their daughter: Connie Conehead

While waiting on Earth, life unfolds for the Coneheads. Beldar advances and holds several jobs always a step ahead of the INS. ( Immigration and Naturalization Service)

Prymatt gives birth on Earth to their only child: Connie. Beldar and Prymatt find a nice home where they raise Connie.
Connie even meets her first boyfriend here on Earth: Ronnie played by Chris Farley.

Any Bluntskulls met by the Coneheads never question their unusual teeth or anatomy. To the contrary, the Bluntskulls accept them enthusiastically.

The only person who questions their identity is INS Deputy Comissioner Gorman Seedling played by Michael McKean.. This happens because the Coneheads purchased an identity that had been sold to at least two previous customers. It is red tape rather than the obvious that exposes the Coneheads as “aliens”.

The songs are great fun. Tainted Love will never sound the same after Beldar... Uh Uh.
If you want to laugh Coneheads is a good pick.

1986 movie: Peggy Sue Got Married

In this fantasy Peggy Sue, played by Kathleen Turner, gets a second chance; a chance to change her life and that of her husband Charlie Bodell played by Nicolas Cage.
Peggy Sue and Charlie married right out of high school. Peggy Sue blames that for Charlie missing his chance to go to college and/or becoming a musician. She believes that is the reason for the breakdown of their marriage.

At a class reunion Peggy Sue faints and regains consciousness as her teenage self, back in 1960. But she remains aware of her adult self and future. Peggy Sue experiences the people and events around her in a way no one else can.
Will Peggy Sue change her past, her future or both? Or is destiny a real thing?

I love the idea of getting a second chance.
Or if I had done things differently would I just end up with a different list or regrets?

Starman, 1984

This was, if not Mike’s favorite movie, at least in the top five.
NASA’s Voyager missions sent golden records into space with “greetings” in many languages, images, music and information about Earth and humans. It was an ambitious invitation to extraterrestrials.
The movie "Starman" ponders the question of what might happen when extraterrestrial, Jeff Bridges as Starman, pays Earth a call.
Will Earthlings set an extra plate or sharpen the dissection knives? Not a tough call if you have watched many movies about E.T.
Most of the action concerns Starman’s journey to rendezvous with his ship and rejoin those of his own kind. He has abducted a traveling companion: Karen Allen as Jenny Hayden. At first she resists helping Starman so far as she is able. For besides kidnapping her, he has cloned her dead husband’s body to use while on Earth! But Starman gains her trust and she introduces him to Earthly things that matter, like apple pie.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981

An old, familiar favorite of mine, this is the movie that inspired Mike to collect.
In the Spring of 1985 this was playing on television. Our newborn son and I were spending the first day home from the hospital. Mike and I decided to relax and watch the movie together.
The beginning of Raiders is spellbinding. Mike and I were hooked, hearts pounding hoping Indiana, Harrison Ford, would survive the first scene though we knew the odds were good.

Then the baby fussed. Nothing we did appeased him. We had missed a big chunk of the movie by the time he settled down and we could hear. It occurred to Mike and I that our carefree movie watching, popcorn munching days were over, at least for the near future. If we wanted to follow the all action again we would have to make serious use of the VCR player; something beyond Debbie Does Dallas.
At first Mike rented. Gradually renting shifted to collecting as we came to understand that for some reason movies, like books, don’t stay “in print”.

Raiders has everything I like in a movie. It has a plot with a definite beginning, middle and end,
a leading lady(Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood) who does not simper and twist an ankle while her man is getting the snot beat out of him, very important Hollywood!! It has nail biting suspense, action, and plenty of laughs.
It one of those rare movies to which I have managed to memorize many lines. The music is fabulous and memorable and has been played during many a Fourth of July firework display.
By now there must be a whole generation who have not yet enjoyed this movie!
It gets a thumbs-up from all ten of my thumbs!

Roxanne, romantic comedy from 1987.

Mayor Deebs:,Fred Willard ” I would rather be with the people of this town than with the finest people in the world”

"Cyrano de Bergerac" written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand, is the inspiration for the movie “Roxanne”.
In the movie Cyrano is “Charlie” nick named C.D. Funny.
Played by Steve Martin C.D. has an unusually large nose, a big heart and sense of humor. He is intelligent and articulate. He will ignore nearly any offense except insults or jokes about his nose. C. D. has learned to defend himself and is quick to attack when he feels his nose has been slighted.

C.D. is the fire chief and recent recruit Chris McConnell, Rick Rossovich, is the opposite of C.D. in some ways. Chris’s nose is “normal”, he is inarticulate and shy around women. He is so shy in fact that he is unable to speak to them.

Both Chris and C.D. are attracted to Roxanne, Daryl Hannah. They join forces in a creative scheme to gain her interest. C.D. supplies the words and Chris supplies the looks.

This movie is a light hearted spin on the importance of knowing and accepting who we truly are.

"Roxanne" might be fun to watch outside under the stars. The character Roxanne’s passion is astronomy. She spots a comet, something I thought I would never live to see. So far I have seen three of them.

80's movie: Xanadu

80's movie: Xanadu
Butter the popcorn.  An uninspired painter Sonny Malone, played by Michael Beck meets his muse: Kira., played by Olivia Newton-John.
Xanadu’s plot is short and sweet but it has one and you can dance to it.
Or sing along with Olivia:
http://www.stlyrics.com/x/xanadu.htm

Danny McGuire, played by Gene Kelly,  is one of Kira’s past charges.
Together, the odd threesome sing, dance and bring all their dreams alive.

I loved “Whenever You’re Away From Me” the song and dance Gene Kelly and Olivia did together.

1955 movie: East of Eden

"East of Eden" was based on a book of the same title by John Steinbeck.
The title is inspired by the story of Cain and Abel; a story of the first murder and of the evil in man’s nature.

“East of Eden” is set in 1917 in the Salinas valley; beautiful farming country.

James Dean stars as Cal, the son of Adam Raymond Massey.
Cal has a split personality. Half the time he is fearless; jumps onto moving trains and rides to another town trying to contact his mother, the madam of a bordello. He ignores the bouncer who looks like he would have no problem smashing Cal’s head.

The other half of the time he seems to have the emotional maturity of an eight year old. Unable to stand still, chin on chest he pouts and stammers. I felt embarrassed for the kid, his emotions were shocking and disturbing for a man that age. Seeing Cal’s misery gives me the impression that much of the book has been left out of the movie.

Cal’s frayed emotions are supposed to be the result of a lifetime of enduring his father’s disapproval. The father openly favors the brother; Aron. Aron, Richard Davalos. Aron is not overly bright or ambitious and I am guessing, has always been easily manipulated by the father. Although clearly more intelligent and capable than Aron, Cal is constantly reprimanded by the father while Aron is showered with praise.. The more Cal tries to win the father’s approval, through inventive ideas and hard work, the more he is reprimanded.

Cal and Aron’s mother is Kate: Jo Van Fleet. The brothers have always believed the father’s story that the mother died when they were born. Apparently they are twins although this is not really clear in the movie. The truth Cal discovers is that the mother abandoned the husband and both sons when they were infants. Cal believes he must remind the father of her and that she, like he, is inherently bad.

Ironically, the father’s ambition was to leave behind something worthwhile. He wanted to be the farmer to bring refrigeration into farm operations. His enduring legacy; his sons, he managed to destroy.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

As he was a nice guy, Mike occasionally bought a DVD with me in mind. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was one of those. This movie always makes me happy. Rocky Horror is a spoof of the wonderful old science fiction movies made in the 50's and 60's. It is very loosely based on the Frankenstein story.

It was a dark and stormy night...
Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, A.K.A.: A..hole and Chicken Legs, ( Berry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) are taking a very long drive without a spare tire. This is the first of several brilliant decisions they make which lead the plot along.
They get a flat. Well, how about that?
“Didn’t we pass a castle...?”
“Maybe they have a telephone we could use?”

At the castle Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) is “making a man, with blond hair and a tan”: Rocky.
When Rocky runs amuck Frank-N-Furter wonders if he made a mistake splitting his brain...
Ahhh, what are the odds? 50-50?

In the late 70's, when I lived in Portland, Oregon, the Clinton Street Theater was a few blocks from my apartment. Every Saturday near midnight a crowd of Rocky fans gathered on the sidewalk to wait for the theater doors to open. Many were in skimpy, sequined costumes.
I had to see this movie! The audience was armed with flashlights, toast, newspaper, rice and I don’t remember what all. Clinton Street Theater has a stage. Throughout the movie, costumed fans walked out on the stage to deliver lines and sing along with the actors on the screen. People staying in their seats participated by using the props they had brought in and making scripted comments. What fun! See it and if you are bold, “be it”

1946 movie: "The Yearling"

Mike taped this one on VHS ages ago. "The Yearling" is a wonderful tribute to fathers. The movie is based on a book of the same title by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings written in 1938.

Gregory Peck plays Ezra 'Penny' Baxter. The movie starts with his return from the Civil War in 1878. Ezra wanted to live as far from civilization as possible. He found his retreat in the scrub country of Lake George Florida. There he made a home for himself, wife Orry, played by Jane Wyman and only surviving child: Jody played by Claude Jarman Jr.
There in the scrub country they scratched out a living. With work and planning they could manage their basic needs. Anything beyond their basic needs involved luck and sacrifice.

Remoteness from civilization came at a heavy cost. A doctor might be a day or more away. Shopping also involved a long trip and there was no school for Jody.

Jody grew up an only child. His four siblings were buried on their farm. Jody was lonely and having no playmates; longed for a pet.

Ezra, wanted to delay the day when Jody would have to give up the carefree joy of childhood and accept the hard reality of life: If you don’t work, you don’t eat. If you don’t eat you starve.
It’s not much of a world, but it’s all we’ve got. Ezra Baxter

If you have children you know how hard it is to watch your child experience life’s painful lessons, especially if you are not sure which cost is greater: the lesson or not learning it.
After much contemplation, Ezra decides to let Jody raise an orphaned fawn and spend one carefree summer just being a kid. The whole family must share the consequences of that decision.

If you have children I recommend both the book and the movie. The Yearling is a wonderful read-aloud book. There are many character voices to play with and the unfamiliar can be explained when it is encountered. For the same reasons I highly recommend reading aloud: "Summer of the Monkeys", also by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
I read a chapter of this every day to our son when he was twelve. Mike was soon drawn into this story and we began waiting for him each day before reading the next chapter.

I see "The Yearling" is available on DVD now too.

movie: Grease

The musical Grease of 1978 is pure fun. It is the story of High School Seniors Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Dee (Olivia Newton-John).

Sandy and Danny spend their Summer vacation together enjoying a short but happy romance. Believing they will never meet again they sing their goodbyes at summer’s end. Of course they do meet again. They attend the same school. They spend their Senior year circling one another trying to re-connect without looking desperate or obvious to their respective chums: the Pink Ladies for Sandy and the Thunderbirds for Danny.

I loved the Pink Ladies sleepover. It has the Ipana song with Bucky Beaver on an old black and white. There is also an old paint-by-number hanging over the bed, unfinished though. You can still see the numbers printed on the canvas.
For munchies the girls share Twinkies and wine.
Marty: (Dinah Manoff) "Twinkies and wine!?"
Jan: (Jamie Donnelly) "Says right here it’s a desert wine. Itallian Swiss Colony, Wow! It’s imported!"

After Mike and I had been married a couple of months Mike confessed that he had been “in love” with Olivia Newton-John and originally had planned to marry her. Obviously he met me.

Olivia belts out songs in her sweet but powerful voice. Her last song is a duet with John Travolta: “You’re The One That I Want”. She sings and dances her way through this in an amazingly tight looking pair of black pants and heels. At any moment it seems she might turn blue, gasp, stumble, or miss a step. But she moves flawlessly.

When John Travolta did the Greased Lightening song I reconnected Mike’s surround sound. And it was good.

Lord of the Flies, 1963 black and white version

This movie is based on "Lord of the Flies", a novel by William Golding.
This is the story of a controlled experiment. Here are the variables:
you are a child,
stranded on an island
all your luggage, supplies and the airplane that carried you are underwater
Pretty horrible right? It gets worse. You are not alone. You are with a bunch of mostly prepubescent boys and some too young to survive without your help.

Into this island test tube two leaders emerge: Jack, (Tom Chapin) the oldest of the group. Jack demands the children listen to him because he is the oldest boy and used to authority. And the other boy, Ralph. Though not as old as Jack , Ralph (James Aubrey) is one of the four older boys. Ralph is not interested in leadership so much as in going home. It is obvious to Ralph that if any of them are ever to be rescued they will need a plan, a leader and they will need to work together.
The boys are put off by Jack’s arrogance so leadership is put to a vote and that burden is put on Ralph.

With the help of Piggy, (Hugh Edwards) another of the older boys, Ralph makes a reasonable plan, the area will be explored, a signal fire will be built and maintained, food and shelter are in the works.

Things go horribly wrong. Although Jack accepted the leadership vote as fair he never actually gave up the pull for control. His influence on the boys is constant and disruptive. As in “The Ox-Bow Incident” people make that subtle shift from thinking as individuals to thinking as a group. The boys gradually split. Simultaneously, bit by bit, civilization falls away . The resulting mob moves off with Jack leaving only the smaller, helpless boys with Ralph and Piggy.
“Why are things going wrong?” Piggy
That is the question we can try to puzzle out as we read the book or watch this movie; when, why, and how do things go wrong? What I think: things never start going wrong. That is always happening.

I hope this book is still read in public schools. I remember reading it in the Junior year.
The teacher used this book to explain what it meant to identify with a character. We were each to write down the boy’s name we had identified with. About 50% of our class had identified with Ralph and the rest with Jack. Two or three had identified with Piggy. The teacher read out from her answer book what our choices supposedly revealed about our personalities. I patiently waited but apparently my boy was not one of those in her answer book.

“We are the beasts” Simon (Tom Gaman)

"Crack in the World" & "The Day the Earth Caught Fire"

In what turned out to be our golden years, Mike and I walked many miles together, usually to look at different geological formations. As we walked Mike often spoke of Summers spent hiking the Cascade Mountains with his Uncle Harlan. Mike had a deep respect for his uncle who inspired in Mike a lifelong interest in the Earth sciences. Somewhere I think I have a photo of Mike or me standing by the fault in Dixie Valley. I could not find the photo and think maybe it is just a memory I have of standing there. It is not a sight I will forget for it is hard to imagine the force that made that rip in the Earth.
Mike loved watching disaster movies. The recent round of Earthquakes here inspired me to watch his:
“Crack in the World” with Dana Andrews, Janette Scott and Kieron Moore
and “The Day the Earth Caught Fire”a British movie with Janet Munro, Leo McKern and Edward Judd.
These movies and more like them, were obviously inspired by fears of nuclear testing and nuclear on-purpose. I think it is interesting that in each of these movies the fix for the problems caused by nuclear explosions is BIGGER nuclear explosions!!
As I sometimes do when watching British movies, I needed subtitles for “The Day the Earth Caught Fire”. This movie did not have them and I suspect I missed some things. A series of disasters are precipitated by nuclear tests: sunspots, worldwide flooding, an unscheduled eclipse, high temperatures, a fog bank four stories high, cyclone force winds, fires, a shift in the Earth’s axis and last but not least the Earth begins moving toward the Sun. But no matter how bad things got the people had plenty of Coca Cola on hand. Water and shelter were iffy but no one seemed much concerned about that. More bombs are needed.

“The Crack in the World” is a mad scientist type movie. In an attempt to create some kind of geothermal power source, a hole is blasted into the Earth’s crust. Somehow the energy in the resulting lava flow was to be harnessed. Best not to think about that much. Just, you know, eat your popcorn.
Naturally this attempt goes horribly wrong. More bombs are needed. Dana Andrews, the mad Dr. Steven Sorenson appears to be doomed for any number of reasons. Not a problem for his wife Janette Scott as Maggie. She has a very special disaster preparedness kit: Kieron Moore as Dr. Ted Rampion. Never leave home without a spare honey. All is well, and ended, well, it ended. A strategically clad Maggie and her man of the moment watch a new moon rise together.

Yeah, I know, still need to assemble the missing stuff from my own very basic disaster kit. On the bright side, that was about four hours spent not thinking about Dixie Valley.

Joe Versus The Volcano

Away from the things of man.

I have been reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. As I read this book with it’s pervasive atmosphere of hopelessness and futility, "Joe Versus the Volcano" keeps entering my thoughts. Specific elements are mirrored.
Sometimes I feel like a Joe Btfsplk , not the jinx part, but just unable to shake that relentless cloud. So naturally I identify with the Tom Hanks character: Joe Banks; Joe with his terminal “brain cloud”, not sick except for the symptoms.



Michael and Kathleen, 1951

Joe works for American Panascope, a subsidiary of ACHI.. Within it’s filthy, deteriorating walls “a new generation of surgical tools” are manufactured. Except for the stains and grime on those factory walls there would be no color. Joe seems to work in the rectal probe division where a continuously updated count of “satisfied costumers” is displayed above the factory floor. They also manufacture petroleum jelly as a side line. Hmm. You listen to “Sixteen Tons” as joe trudges with his fellow employees into this building. The music in this movie is not just background but compliments, adds another element.

From the bluntly obvious to things more subtle, this movie is rich with recurring elements of color, contrast, clothes, light, lightening, music; well it’s “like a box of chocolates”... Sorry Tom.
The plot briefly:
A Dr. tells Joe he has a terminal brain cloud. Believing his “days are numbered” Joe agrees to travel to an island that has an active volcano. In exchange he can go out in style: “Live like a king, die like a man” He is to be transported to that island by Patricia, the daughter of his employer. They spend some time together, weather a storm. Then, under a surreal moon, they suffer a sea change. Meg Ryan as Patricia was courageous, honorable, and direct without being vindictive. She has the character traits you might think of if you had to answer that old question: if you were marooned on a deserted island, who would you want as a companion?
The movie also suggests an answer to the related questions of what to bring to that island: good luggage!! the best you can afford. We are the sum total of our luggage, right?
And what books to bring? The movie answers that too: “Robinson Crusoe”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Odyssey”... Fun to ponder reasons to choose those particular books.

If you have ever been told “you are not paid to think” or wondered how many more ways you will have to learn to take it; you might enjoy this movie.

movie: Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers is based on a book by Robert Heinlein. Mike was a fan of Heinlein.
The movie is set in the futuristic world of Ricco, (played by Casper Van Dien) and his high school classmates. This is a world threatened by really big juicy bugs bent on galactic domination. While this insect enemy does not have a human face it is guided by a cunning intelligence easily equal that of human. Enormous, spectacularly hideous “brain bugs” communicate strategy to bug troopers.
The bugs have the upper hand. The war is desperate. Either humans or bugs will prevail.

In addition to lots of action with really big angry bugs this movie offers:
teen rebellion, love triangle, many laughs, intriguing social/political ideas; possibly allusions to our ancient or more recent past?

an example from a newsreel: “Service guarantees citizenship” Familiar? There are many other parallels.
The most interesting idea to me is the difference between being a citizen vs civilian.
This world is governed by the military. Only people who have served in the military can become citizens, vote or hold pubic office.
High school instructor, Jean Rasczak: (Michael Ironside) "Something given has no basis in value. When you vote, you are exercising political authority, you're using force. And force my friends is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authorities are derived"

Wow! But grab the popcorn for there is no time to get your head around these intriguing ideas, pun intended. Splat!
By the end, though a satisfied and willing participant; I suspect I’ve been had. I see Mike got the version with “additional scenes, commentary, etc.” He liked picking apart the secrets of things. Then there is this view:
Jean Rasczak: “Figuring things out for yourself is practically the only freedom anyone really has nowadays. Use that freedom. Make up your own mind Ricco.

Would you like to know more?

Annie Hall

Mike’s DVD collection started with the purchase of Annie Hall with Woody Allen as Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton as Annie Hall.
The movie starts off with a joke:
“Alvy Singer: There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly.”

Annie Hall is not a typical romance. Annie Hall is more about the substance of relationships and not so much about the flash of “falling in love”.
Alvy Singer seems like a nice guy. He has a variety of basically decent and interesting people in his life. This movie is the story of Alvy's relationship with one of those people; from his meeting with Annie Hall through their good and not so good times together.
Does Alvy evolve in this movie? You can make up your own mind.

The movie ends on a wistful note with a joke similar to the first:
“Alvy Singer: “I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs”

Mill Creek Alfred HItchcock Legend Series, fourh disk

I finished the last disk of the Mill Creek Alfred Hitchcock Legend Series.
The sound on a couple of movies from that disk was garbled. The movies were watchable but the fuzzy sound detracted somewhat from my ability to follow the plot. "The Number Seventeen" from that disk was confusing to me. The plot seemed needlessly convoluted and complicated.
For example, it starts with a group of people meeting in a vacant house at the pitch of midnight so they could get on a ship many miles away. Now WHY didn't they simply meet at the dock??? Many other "whys" for me in this movie. OK, OK, I'll eat my popcorn...
On the whole I enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock's Legend series and highly recommend it. Not bad at all for $.5.00. The disk ends with the theater promotions for Alfred Hitchcock's movies. A treasure trove of entertainment.
Thanks Alfred.

More from Alfred Hitchcock Legend Series DVD

I am still enjoying this series and have now watched all but the last disk.
Disk two: Rich and Strange, The Thirty-Nine Steps, Secret Agent, Champagne and Blackmail. Disk three: Easy Virtue, Jamaica Inn, The Lodger, The Ring, Young and Innocent
All these movies are watchable though a few had some "noise"; flecks and scratches which I guess could not be avoided.
About half these movies are silent. It takes longer to convey an idea with no sound I notice and I found my mind wander off now and then. Sometimes the music and exaggerated facial expressions such as eye popping and eyebrow raising seem contrary to the actual mood. Interesting, for the movies are actually filled with intrigue, betrayal and real suspense.
I especially enjoyed Jamaica Inn with Maureen O'Hara. It is a thriller that deals with a criminal element whose modern counterpart can easily be imagined. How did the cops survive before cell phones and radios! They were pretty much on their own and so very vulnerable with no way to call for back-up!
On the last disk: Juno and the Paycock, Sabotage, The Skin Game, Number Seventeen, The Man Who Knew Too Much

DVD: Alfred Hitchcock Legends Series

Every once in a while I add to Mike's DVD collection. Last week I found "Alfred Hitchcock The Legend Begins" from the Mill Creek Legend series. It was in the $5.00 bin at WalMart. This set has 20 movies for five bucks! There are four disks with five movies each. They average 1hr. 45min in length.
The first movie: "The Lady Vanishes" was enjoyable and watchable. It was about an hour and forty five minutes.
The next two movies on disk one: "The Farmer's Wife" and "The Manxman" were silent movies and sadly, unwatchable. They are broken up in many spots with pixels and cause the player to freeze. With a lot of fussing I was able to get the gist of "The Farmer's Wife". When I saw "The Manxman" would be more of the same I gave it up.
The "Chaney Vase" and "the Sorcerer's Apprentice" are both from the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" show. I was a die hard fan of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" which aired between 1955-1962. Those are only 24 minutes each. Did the advertising only go on for 6 minutes?! I dont remember.
That is all from disk one.
I do hope the rest will be watchable too as I hate getting what I pay for when I did not pay much.

One Million Years B.C.

This is a story set in Earth’s fantastical pre-pre history when man and dinosaur walked the Earth together.
Raquel Welch wears the iconic fur bikini to play Loana, of the Shell People. The Shell People appear to be adept at surviving in an extremely hostile environment. Thanks to
Ray Harryhausen super sized amphibians and dinosaurs roam the land. Loana’s Shell People care for those who are weak or injured. They are guided by a wise, elderly man. They have learned how to fish; make tools including stone spear points and bone needles. They also appear to bathe regularly.
Somewhere near them live the Rock People; the people of Tumak. The Rock People leave their wounded behind. They hunt with sharpened sticks; apparently their only tools. and they don’t seem to bathe, or at least not often.
They are dominated by their strongest hunter of the moment. Another hunter can challenge him for rank. Tumak tried but was bested and expelled from the tribe for his troubles. He wanders far and escapes many dangers. His wandering ends when he collapses in the Shell People’s territory. Loana takes a shine to him and convinces her people to take him in and nurse him back to health.
But cultures clashed back in pre-pre-history just as they do today. Tumak is expelled from this tribe too!! But he does not leave alone this time. Love sick Loana trails him struggling to keep up but determined to follow. Tumak seems oblivious to her. Bad boy ways win the fair maiden in pre-pre-history as they so often do today.

Conan the Barbarian

In the mood for myths and legends? Butter the popcorn! “Conan the Barbarian” fills the bill.
Earlier in the week I finished reading: Bull From the Sea by Mary Renault and wanted more. Time for Conan. The movie has many of the characters found in the book: warrior hero, fabulous fair haired chick in chain-maille, sorceress/wizard types, snakes lurking in dark places... Oh! and the beef cake! Thanks Arnold...
What fun for a Winter weekend: Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Conan, James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom (the bad guy) and Sandahl Bergman as Valeria

Harvey

Harvey

Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.

Elwood P. Dowd, Jimmy Stewart in Harvey