Welcome to the 296th Edition of my series. It has been quite a fun
weekend. On Friday, I went to Vecinos in Muncie to see my good friend
Ashley sing along with her boyfriend Stephen who was in Muncie visiting
from Philadelphia. Stephen showed that he is a talented musician in his
own right. I also got to know her parents who were very nice to me so
that was a great night. Yesterday, I had a guy recognize me on
AMERICA'S GOT TALENT on which they put me on television for 90 seconds
and he recognized me which I was amazed. Later in the evening, I went
to the Muncie Civic Theater to see the musical THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM
COUNTY SPELLING BEE thinking I was just going there to watch the show.
However, I was quite wrong when I registered my name to be one of the
spellers and then my name was drawn. I ended up being one of four
people getting sent up there. The others just waited their turn which
was not really wrong but I decided I wanted to act so I did a lot of
reacting and interacting with the guys I was sitting by. When my time
came up for my word, I was given some big word and then got it wrong and
decided to react in anger. I got quite a bit of praise for what I did.
It was a very well done musical and should go out there to see it.
Registering to be a speller is not required unless you want to do it.
Later this evening, I will likely end up at the Anderson Buffalo Wild
Wings for the wrestling ppv and see some more of my friends.
Nine
Lives (2005): This is the 35th link on The Chain and this one
continues with Ian McShane. This movie takes a look at nine different
women and the relationships that define them. Some of the stories
intersect with each other and each one does not really have an end.
Many people are in this like Robin Wright, Holly Hunter, Amanda
Seyfried, Sissy Spacek, Joe Mantegna, Glenn Close, Dakota Fanning, and
many others. I really enjoyed the last one with Glenn Close and Dakota
Fanning the most. This may be a good movie for Girl's Night and a
really interesting way of shooting the stories. This is available on
Instant Netflix.
Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock? (2006):
This is my documentary for the week on the art world. A female
semi-truck driver named Teri Horton bought a painting at a thrift store
for only five bucks but then learn it might be a Jackson Pollack
painting for 50 million dollars which starts a never ending journey from
Horton to prove this is a Pollack painting. She puts herself in a
world she does not fit into but never stops her efforts to prove the
identity of the painter. It is a pretty entertaining documentary and a
good insight to the world of art.
The Asphault Jungle (1950):
This is part three of what will likely be the last part of my Sterling
Hayden series. John Huston directed this heist film where a major heist
seeming to be foolproof is hatched but when the criminals cannot
coexist. Each person has some big problem going on which makes the
heist more and more difficult and the movie does a great job of showing
that there is no foolproof scam. Look for Marilyn Monroe in an early
role. This is probably the best of the three Sterling Hayden films I
have shown. This is also available on Instant Netflix.
Bugs
Bunny Gets the Boid (1942): This is my short film for the week which
was included on the dvd for last week's feature YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
which stars you guessed it Bugs Bunny. In this one, Mama Buzzard wants
her children to bring back some meat and one of the buzzardlings named
Beaky Buzzard is very shy but is told to bring back a rabbit and goes
after the wrong one in Bugs. This was a very good Looney Tunes short
and can likely be found on Youtube.
The Adventures of Prince
Achmed (1926): This is the oldest surviving animated feature film from
Germany. This is taken from stories in THE ARABIAN KNIGHTS where the
title character goes into magical adventures, meets a princess, Aladdin,
and battling other demons. This is a silent film and must be followed
closely. This is a very interesting early animation effort though the
figures being cardboard cutouts using thread and movable parts. This
movie is available on Instant Netflix.
Humpday (2009): Lynn
Shelton wrote, directed, and co-starred in this independent effort which
takes a look at a married couple and being visited by their friend
Andrew. Andrew is taking part in a film project to make an erotic film
and decides he should do this with Ben even though he is married. Ben
considers doing it but has to consider his wife and heterosexuality.
This is not for everyone but it was a very brave film to make and has
some interesting and thought-provoking discussions. This movie does not
have any big names but gets by without them. This is available on
Instant Netflix.
Peeping Tom (1960): This is my psychological
film for the week which stars Carl Boehm as Mark Lewis who works at a
British film studio. On the side, he becomes obsessed with the effects
on fear and taping women while killing them. This also shows flashbacks
of his childhood which lead to him becoming the killer in his adult
life. This was a very well-shot and unusual film directed by Michael
Powell. This is available on Instant Netflix.
Origin: Spirits
of the Past (2006): This is my Anime film for the week. This takes
place 300 years into the future where humankind has destroyed Earth. A
young boy named Agito stumbles across a machine that glowed in a strange
blue inside a forbidden sanctuary and preserves a girl named Tula who
has been entrusted in a mission. This movie has some great animation in
it and I liked the theme song with a pretty moving story. This is
available on Instant Netflix.
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976):
John Carpenter wrote and directed this violent independent film. This
takes place at an almost abandoned police station where the inhabitants
there are outnumbered by gangs and must do everything possible to fight
them off since their phones are off and are out in the middle of
nowhere. This is not for everyone and there is some very brutal
violence in this film but still a very well written film. Carpenter
also wrote a pretty good music score. This is a film that worked
without a big time cast. I have not seen the remake. This is available
on Instant Netflix.
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985): I
now end the week with this Paul Schrader film. This is a fictionalized
account into the life of 20th century Japanese writer Yukio Mishima and
puts it into four parts. This movie is shot so well and has some
beautiful cinematography and a great music score from Philip Glass.
This movie is also available on Instant Netflix.
Well, that is
it for this week. Forgive my lackluster writing as I just wrote all
this at the same time while I usually write through the week. Still
tell me what you like and what you do not like. Stay tuned for next
week which so far includes Alan Rickman, James Cagney, and many others.
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