Christopher Stires' Notebook

DARK LEGEND

2011-05-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

My new paranormal-horror novel, DARK LEGEND, has been released by Zumaya Publications. (http://www.zumayapublications.com/)

see trailer at: YouTube (Dark Legend Novel Promo)

2009-09-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

My screenplay, "Death And...", won 4th place in the OC Screenwriters "Make It Reel" Contest. The winning screenplay, Brandon Tyra's "Harvey the Chicken Racist", will be filmed by Lennexe Production. Very cool.

2009-05-01T14:26:00.001-07:00

Richard Hourula writes an interesting blog about movies at http://rikuwrites.blogspot.com. His latest column is about intriguing and cool movie titles. Below are titles that I like. The movie may be good or bad but the title piques my interest before I even know what the story is about:

Angels with Dirty Faces
Arachnophobia
Con Air
Forbidden Planet
Jaws
The Rocketeer
Shakespeare in Love
Touch of Evil
True Lies
Young Frankenstein

Check out Richard’s column

2009-04-12T14:17:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the poster art is better than the movie. And whether science fiction or horror, the marketing departments use the same basic set-up -- damsel in distress
*Forbidden Planet * Dracula Has Risen From The Grave * Creature from the Black Lagoon * I Married a Monster from Outer Space * The Hearse * Grizzly

Public Enemies Trailer (2009)

2009-04-11T18:46:00.001-07:00

looks like my kind of movie

2009-03-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

"Give me the link to free ebook from Zumaya week, Gisbourne."

"See below, Robin."

2009-03-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

"We'll always have free ebook from Zumaya week."

**See link below

2009-03-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

"I think I'll read one of the free ebooks from Zumaya. They're easier to reach."

*See link below

2009-03-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

FREE!!!!

Read The Inheritance (my first novel - a horror tale) or one of sixteen other Zumaya titles at http://www.zumayapublications.com/ebooks.php. Offer good from March 8 to March 14. Go on, you'll enjoy it.

2009-03-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

2009-02-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

TEN GOOD FILMS

SET DURING

THE GREAT DEPRESSION

The Great Depression and Movies. The following are ten films set during that time frame that are good movies. Listed by year released.

It Happened One Night (1934)

{A big Oscar winner with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert}

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

{Henry Fonda has never been better than as Tom Joad}

Sullivan's Travels (1941)

{not as well known as it should be -- terrific movie}

Bonnie & Clyde (1967)

{Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are sensational as the outlaw lovers ... oh, yeah, there's this new guy named Gene Hackman who plays Clyde's older brother Buck}

The Sting (1973)

{Newman and Redford and a very cool con game}

Chinatown (1974)

{the millionaire played by John Huston would feel right at home with the Wall Street and Bank execs of today}

Hard Times (1975)

{Charles Bronson could act once upon a time ... he and James Coburn play well off each other}

Victoria/Victoria (1982)

{fun movie with Robert Preston stealing the show}

The Green Mile (1999)

{Stephen King, Tom Hanks, and a Southern prison during the Depression}

Seabiscuit (2003)

{a good story about the famed racehorse}

PETA's Banned 2009 Super Bowl Ad

2009-01-29T16:57:00.001-08:00

May not be suitable for children. It got my attention.

Apology

2009-01-22T11:03:00.001-08:00

An apology for our 2001-2008 interruption in service

Dear World:

We, the United States of America, your top quality supplier of the ideals of liberty and democracy, would like to apologize for our 2001-2008 interruption in service. The technical fault that led to this eight-year service outage has been located, and the software responsible was replaced November 4. Early tests of the newly installed program indicate that we are now operating correctly, and we expect it to be fully functional on January 20. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the outage. We look forward to resuming full service and hope to improve in years to come. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

MY TOP TEN FILMS OF 2008

2008-12-30T20:32:00.000-08:00

First, this wasn’t Hollywood’s best year. Second, there’s still several films I haven’t had the chance to see yet: Quantum of Solace, Gran Torino, Hellboy 2, and Tropic Thunder to name a few so my list is the 2008 films I have seen. Actually the list is split in two – the first four films are my favorites and the other six are ones I like but aren’t ever going to be considered classics.
*
Top Four:
1) Wall-E
2) The Dark Knight
3) Iron Man
4) Slumdog Millionaire

Second Six:
5) 21
6) The Bank Job
7) Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
8) Untraceable
9) In Bruges
10) Get Smart

A film I haven’t seen yet could replace one of the second six. The Top Four will remain on my list with no apologies.

THE DARK KNIGHT MOST PIRATED MOVIE 2008

2008-12-15T15:06:00.001-08:00

According to TorrentFreak.com, the ten most-pirated films of 2008 are:
*
1. The Dark Knight
2. The Incredible Hulk
3. The Bank Job
4. You Don't Mess With the Zohan
5. National Treasure: Book of Secrets
6. Juno
7. Tropic Thunder
8. I Am Legend
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10. Horton Hears a Who!
*
Hulk and Zohan? … well, no one ever claimed pirates and thieves had taste.

The Casablanca Screenplay Project

2008-12-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Casablanca is one of my favorite films of all time. I found this interesting. 26 years old but interesting. Not sure what it means to struggling screenwriters:

In 1982, freelance writer Chuck Ross retyped the script of Casablanca, changed its title to “Everybody Comes to Rick’s” (the title of the original play) and submitted it to 217 agencies as a script supposedly by an unknown writer.

Ninety returned it unread, for various reasons (it was their policy not to read unsolicited manuscripts, they weren’t taking on new clients, or they were no longer in the agency business).

Seven never responded. Eighteen scripts apparently got lost in the mail.

Thirty-three agencies actually recognized the script.

Eight noticed a similarity to Casablanca, but didn’t realize it was Casablanca.

Thirty-eight agencies claimed to have read it, but rejected it. Of those agencies that actually read the manuscript (or claimed to have), the majority did not recognize it as Casablanca, nor did they think the script was good enough to be worth representing.

Three agencies expressed a desire to represent the work.

Read the entire story at: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/Casablanca_Rejected

2008-12-01T18:05:00.001-08:00

WALL-E*

Finally caught up with Pixar's latest release. I know, I know ... I'm way behind in my movie viewing. As for the adventures of Wall-E and Eve. I liked them and their story. A lot. OK, Quantum of Solace, Wanted, X-Files, Appaloosa, and Slumdog Millionaire are still on the not-seen-yet list. So, with that said, my favorite flims of 2008 are The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, The Bank Job and {drum roll} WALL-E.

Top Numbers for 2008 Movies

2008-11-30T08:47:00.001-08:00

According to The Numbers (www.the-numbers.com) the Top Grossing Movies of 2008 with one month left to go are:

1) The Dark Knight
2) Iron Man
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4) Hancock
5) WALL-E
6) Kung Fu Panda
7) Horton Hears a Who
8) Sex and the City
9) Mamma Mia!
10) The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I think it’s safe to say that next year (and the next) we’ll see more movies based on comic books and graphic novels. But aren’t we close to running out of the good ones? Really don’t want to see a film based on Archie or Sgt Rock.

2008-11-26T22:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

Where did the white man go wrong?

Indian Chief "Two Eagles" was asked by a U.S. Government official, "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done." The Chief nodded in agreement. The official continued, "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"

The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied: "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex.'

Then the chief leaned back and smiled. "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."

2008-11-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

Check out the great titles at:

Please click on:

http://shop.zumayapublications.com

Slumdog Millionaire - Trailer

2008-11-16T21:18:00.001-08:00

Looks cool ... from director Danny Boyle

2008-11-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

Remember that hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

Stephen King,

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

2008-11-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

That's my Question, too.

2008-11-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Royality Time

REBEL NATION
*

Wow. I'm excited. Just received my royality check for the first half of the year. 126 print copies and 12 e-book versions of RN were bought. Too cool. I hope all enjoyed them.

If you're interested in checking it go to: http://www.zumayapublications.com/title.php?id=160 or Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Zumaya is the best method.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama for President

2008-10-19T14:12:00.001-07:00

Very well said. Well, I'm off the fence.

2008-10-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Official Announcement:

The federal government today announced that it is changing its emblem from an Eagle to a CONDOM because it more accurately reflects the government's political stance. A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're actually being screwed!

It just doesn't get more accurate than that. (Stolen and reprinted from an email I received. I have no idea who they stole it from.)

2008-09-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

SEEN ON TEE-SHIRTS
(somewhere ... don't know where but somewhere...)

2008-09-29T16:58:00.001-07:00

PAUL NEWMAN
1925 – 2008
*

I was 12 years-old, in the 7th grade, a Californian suddenly living in a suburb of Dallas and feeling totally lost and out of place, when I saw Cool Hand Luke the first time. I resonated to the character then and still do in some ways. While “What we have here is failure to communicate” is the most well-known line from the movie, the line I remember most is a beaten-down Luke telling a guard – “Calling it your job don't make it right, Boss.”
*
Two years later, for a Father’s Day present my brother and I took Dad to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Dad reluctantly went. He didn’t enjoy going to the movies any longer. I can still hear Dad laughing throughout Butch & Sundance. "Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?" "Rules? In a knife fight? No rules."
*
Thank you, Mr. Newman. Rest in peace.
*
Some of my favorite Newman movies are:
*
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Cool Hand Luke
Nobody’s Fool
The Verdict
The Sting
The Hustler
Hud
Harper
Absence of Malice
Cars

2008-09-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

NEW BAIL-OUT PLAN

A friend sent me his economic bail-out plan. Thought I'd share:

Here's a plan that I've been thinking about since the announcements of the "Bail Out". This here is a "plan" I could live quite well with!!!

The "We Deserve It Dividend"

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG. Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend! I'm no math genius, so to make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens that are 18+ years of age. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair estimate of adults 18 and up. So divide 200,000,000 adults that are 18+ into $85 billon. That equals $425,000.00.

Here's where we all get excited. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person that is 18+ years of age as a "We Deserve It Dividend". Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. So...... Every US Citizen that is 18+ years of age would have to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000.00 right back to Uncle Sam. It also means that every adult 18+ years of age has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife have $595,000.00 free and clear.!! What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family? Again, back to basics here:

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ years of age including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. Most importantly, really paying those serving in our Armed Forces! If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ("vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion dollar bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for the problem companies: AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate and let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. Here's my rationale, we deserve it and AIG doesn't. Sure it's a crazy idea that of course can "never work", but can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom? I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion "We Deserve It Dividend" more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC . And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Appaloosa

2008-08-23T14:47:00.001-07:00

Bond and a western ... looking like a good fall movire season :)

Quantum of Solace Teaser Trailer (OFFICIAL) HD

2008-08-15T20:12:00.001-07:00

James Bond 007 ... cool

2008-08-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

LONG TIME

Need to blog something. It's been too long. Uhhh ... today I entered two screenplays (Darkfall and Distraction) in the Movie Deal Contest. More later.

2008-07-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

THE TEN WORST JOBS
*

According to MSN, the worst jobs (not the most dangerous) in the U.S. are:

Hosts and hostesses at restaurants, lounges and coffee shops, 87%
Counter attendants at cafeterias, food concessions and coffee shops, 87%
Ushers, lobby attendants and ticket takers, 85.4%
Fabric and apparel patternmakers, 82.2%
Lifeguards and other protective-service workers, 81.6%
Waiters and waitresses, 80.4%
Tour and travel guides, 79.4%
Models, demonstrators and product promoters, 79.2%
Dishwashers, 78.8%
Motion-picture projectionists, 78.1%

I’ve been in the restaurant field for most of my working career. It can be very stressful. I remember attending a Christmas holiday dinner at a very trendy Newport Beach restaurant with Annie several years ago. A couple at our table mentioned that Annie and I seemed to be getting special attention from the wait staff. The answer was simple. The people at this dinner (I only knew the dinner hostess – the rest of the folks I knew had declined the invitation) treated the wait staff like furniture. Annie (who was a waitress also) made eye contact, talked to them like they were people, and thanked them for their service. Simple courtesy … what a concept.

They're coming back ...

2008-07-03T08:12:00.001-07:00

Mulder and Scully ... too cool

2008-06-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

COOL HAND LUKE (1967)

2008-06-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

A DAY AT CORONA DEL MAR STATE BEACH

WITH MY FRIEND, MELANIE

Despite using sunblock, I got burnt and looked like cooked lobster. It was fun! My new digitial camera worked just fine.

2008-06-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

GEORGE CARLIN

1937 - 2008

REST IN PEACE

2008-06-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

KISSING TRIVIA

From an article on MSN:

Kissing is good for what ails you. Research shows that the act of smooching improves our skin, helps circulation, prevents tooth decay, and can even relieve headaches.

2008-06-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

CASABLANCA TRIVIA

Studio publicity in 1941 claimed that Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan were scheduled to appear in this film, and Dennis Morgan is mentioned as the third lead. This was never the case, however, and the false story was planted, either by a studio publicist or a press agent for the three other actors, to keep their names in the press. Meanwhile George Raft was angling for the part with Jack L. Warner, but Hal B. Wallis had been assigned to search for what would be Humphrey Bogart's next starring role. He wrote to Warner that he had found the next movie for Bogart and the role was perfect for him. Nobody else was ever considered for the part.

2008-06-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

An Affair to Remember

She was 82. He was 95.

They had dementia. They fell in love.

And then they started having sex.

Check out this story on Slate (you will have an opinion): http://www.slate.com/id/2192178/?GT1=38001

2008-06-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the news about the current economic and political situation. I attempted to make some sense of it and the old World War Two acronym popped into my head:

SNAFU

Yep, that says it all. Situation Normal: All Fucked Up.

2008-06-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is best to remain quiet

and be thought a fool

than to open your mouth

and remove all doubt.

2008-05-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hush by Deep Purple

I got a certan little girl she’s on my mind
No doubt about it she looks so fine
She’s the best girl that I ever had
Sometimes she’s gonna make me feel so bad

Hush, hush
I thought I heard her calling my name now
Hush, hush
She broke my heart but I love her just the same now
Hush, hush
Thought I heard her calling my name now
Hush, hush
I need her loving and I’m not to blame now

(love, love)
They got it early in the morning
(love, love)
They got it late in the evening
(love, love)
Well, I want that, need it
(love, love)Oh, I gotta gotta have it

She’s got loving like quicksand
Only took one touch of her hand
To blow my mind and I’m in so deep
That I can’t eat and I can’t sleep

Listen
Hush, hush
Thought I heard her calling my name now
Hush, hush
She broke my heart but I love her just the same now
Hush, hush
Thought I heard her calling my name now
Hush, hush
I need her loving and I’m not to blame now

(love, love)
They got it early in the morning
(love, love)
They got it late in the evening
(love, love)
Well, I want that, need it
(love, love)
Oh, I gotta gotta have it

2008-05-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

77 KICK-ASS, GUY MOVIES
*

Okay, first and up front, I own way too many DVDs. Still I decided to list some of my favorite action-adventure films. Some are classics; some are most definitely B-movies that have held my interest over the years. The criteria for my list is simple: the movie had to be a kick-ass flick that I’d recommend to another guy and I had to own a copy which means I’ve seen it more than once. There is no particular order. They’re listed as I thought of them. So here we go:

1) RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
The absolute coolest action-adventure movie ever made. This is the role Harrison Ford was born to play. A roller-coaster ride of thrills.
2) DIE HARD
Bad guys take-over an entire building to execute the perfect robbery. But they didn’t plan on good-guy cop Bruce Willis being among the hostages.
3) THE GODFATHER
The Coliseum of gangster movies. Period. End of discussion.
4) ALIEN
Lean, tough sci-fi horror tale with well-drawn characters, seat-jumping suspense, and one of the coolest, scariest monsters ever seen on film.
5) ALIENS
Major debate on whether this is one of the rare sequels that is better than the source film. Who cares? They’re both bitchin’ movies.
6) THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)
Errol Flynn isn’t playing Robin Hood. He is Robin Hood. This is the oldest film on my list and it holds up well. I still want to be one of Robin’s Merry Men.
7) JAWS
The shark looks fake. Doesn’t matter. Riveting from beginning to end.
8) TOMBSTONE
One of my favorite westerns. Kurt Russell is Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer is Doc Holliday. About a hundred character actors pop up in his movie and the gunfights are only topped by the razor-sharp dialogue.
9) THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
I love Star Wars. This sequel is better than the source film. The final chapter is somewhat of a letdown and the three prequels are a waste of time.
10) BATMAN BEGINS
The best comic book (or graphic novel if you prefer) inspired movie ever. This movie rocks.
11) COOL HAND LUKE
Paul Newman sentenced to a Southern chain gang. Watch how a myth is created. Great supporting cast. “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
12) THE WILD BUNCH
Old West outlaws attempt one last robbery. From that simple synopsis comes a great movie written and directed by Peckinpah.
13) THE LORD OF THE RINGS (all three as one)
The Tolkien classic as envisioned by Peter Jackson. Not all the storylines work but the battles are kick-butt impressive. Oh, yeah, watching all three in one sitting will take you about twelve hours.
14) SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Spielberg and Hanks. World War II in Europe. Soft center but the opening D-Day battle and the closing battle more than make up for it.
15) PREDATOR
In the South American jungle, Arnold and his mercenaries are picked off one-by-one by an alien hunter on safari. Far-fetched? Yeah, but totally cool.
16) TREMORS
The folks in a remote town are trapped by underground creatures that consider them food. This is what a sci-fi horror film should be. Fun and scary.
17) CASINO ROYALE
A reworking of the James Bond legend starting at the beginning. Daniel Craig makes Agent 007 his own and in one of best Bond adventures.
18) ROB ROY
The Scottish legend. Tough swashbuckler. Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange shine and Tim Roth is a terrific villain. Great ending sword fight.
19) THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
A group of gunfighters defends a poor Mexican village against bandits. McQueen, Yul Brynner, Bronson, and Coburn with Eli Wallach top-notch as the bandit leader. Still my favorite western.
20) DIRTY HARRY
Eastwood’s best movie. All that stands between the people of San Francisco and a deranged killer is Detective Harry Callahan.
21) L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
Cops and the mob in 1950’s Los Angeles. Great characters, solid twists. Well-done.
22) THE UNTOUCHABLES
Kevin Costner, along with Sean Connery, form an elite squad to take on Al Capone (Robert DeNiro). Cool story.
23) SAHARA
Bogart and a rag-tag group of soldiers make a last stand at a desert waterhole against a Nazi battalion.
24) INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
Not as good as Raiders but damn good.
25) INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
Not as good as Raiders but Sean Connery is Indy’s dad.
26) CON AIR
Nicholas Cage is a paroled convict who gets a ride on plane filled with the toughest cons. What could go wrong?
27) SPEED
Cop Keanu Reeves attempts to disarm a moving city bus that has been rigged to explode if its speed drops below 50 mph by madman Dennis Hopper. Sandra Bullock is the spunky bus driver.
28) THE BOURNE IDENTITY
Just buckle up and enjoy the ride as spy-with-amnesia Matt Damon tries to figure out who he is and why people are trying to kill him.
29) LETHAL WEAPON 2
Better than the source movie with cop buddies Mel Gibson and Danny Glover facing a ruthless South African syndicate. Joe Pesci stands out as a mob informant.
30) UNDER SIEGE
The only Steven Seagal movie worth seeing (except Executive Decision for different reason). Seagal is a Navy cook fighting mercenaries who have taken over a naval warship. Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey are great bad guys.
31) THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES
Eastwood’s best western as a loner who keeps picking up lost people as he flees a relentless posse.
32) THE PROFESSIONALS
Tough, leathery western as a millionaire hires four men – Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, and Woody Strode – to free kidnapped wife from a Mexican outlaw.
33) THE PATRIOT
Mel Gibson, after his son is killed, joins the rebels fighting the British Army in Colonial America. You really want to see bad guy Jason Isaacs get his.
34) SOLDIER
Kurt Russell is a man raised from birth to be a soldier in this futuristic sci-fi adventure tale. Simple but way cool storyline.
35) EXECUTIVE DECISION
Kurt Russell and a squad of soldiers sneak aboard a hijacked jetliner in flight to rescue the passengers. Far-fetched but intense. 15 minutes into the movie and you’ll know why it’s the best Steven Seagal movie.
36) FACE/OFF
John Woo directs Nicholas Cage and John Travolta in this bizarre action-packed story. Okay, it’s a little too long but it’s really fun.
37) TOMORROW NEVER DIES
Pierce Bronsan is James Bond in the only non-Sean Connery 007 movie worth seeing until Casino Royale was made.
38) LAST OF THE MOHICANS
The French-Indian Wars. The what? Open a history book. Anyway, the fights with tomahawk and flintlock rifle is totally bitchin’. Even the love story added to the old tale works.
39) PLANET OF THE APES
Astronaut Charlton Heston lands on a planet where evolution did a flip-flop. Way corny at moments but it works. One of the best endings ever.
40) THE GREAT ESCAPE
During WWII, the Germans decide to put all the Allied escape artists in one P.O.W. camp. Big mistake on their part. Based on a true story. McQueen on a motorcycle. Big smile.
41) THE DIRTY DOZEN
WWII. Before D-Day. Major Lee Marvin is assigned to train a group of military convicts for a behind-the-lines mission. The Army would never be this desperate. Or would they? In supporting roles are Bronson, Jim Brown, Telly Savalas and several other tough guys.
42) ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES
Cagney and Pat O’Brien are best boyhood pals who grow up to be a gangster and a priest respectively. No one is cooler than Cagney when playing a gangster. Add Bogart as another bad guy and a genuinely moving climax and you got a classic gangster flick from the Thirties.
43) THE TERMINATOR
Arnold is a killer cyborg sent back in time to assassinate the mother of the man who will defeat the cyborgs in the future. Did that make sense? Nevermind, it works but don’t attempt translating it.
44) HELLBOY
Graphic novel inspired. A demon baby is found by American soldiers during WWII. He is raised to be a defender of the American way. Hell, I liked it.
45) THE THING
This is one of the scariest movies ever. A group of scientists in the Artic encounter a vicious alien who can inhabit the bodies that it comes in contact with. Kurt Russell stars in this John Carpenter film.
46) FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
The best Sean Connery as James Bond 007 adventure. Some prefer Goldfinger, others name Thunderball. I like this one.
47) STAR WARS
The best B-movie with a major studio budget ever made. I stood in line more than once to see Luke, Han, Leia, and company fight Darth Vader. While Empire is the best in the middle trilogy, this works just fine thank you.
48) IN THE LINE OF FIRE
Veteran Secret Service Agent Clint Eastwood, who failed to save JFK from assassination, protects another President from madman John Malkovich. Renee Russo is another agent.
49) HILDALGO
Viggo Mortensen, from Lord of the Rings, is a cowboy who enters his mustang in a 3000-mile race across the Arabian desert.
50) MARATHON MAN
Dustin Hoffman plays the most unlikely thriller hero as he fights Nazi Laurence Olivier. The torture scene to get Hoffman to talk using a dental drill will give you the sweats. "Is it safe?"
51) CELLULAR
Fun, action movie as kidnapped Kim Basinger’s only hope is slacker Chris Evans who she has accidentally contacted on his cell phone. Jason Statham is the main bad guy and William Macy pops up as a desk sergeant in a terrific supporting role.
52) RED EYE
Hotel manager Rachel McAdams, on an overnight flight to Miami, discovers that her seatmate Cillian Murphy, from Batman Begins, is terrorist who plans on using her to assassinate a government official staying at her hotel.
53) THE MUMMY
Dumb, wacky and non-stop fun as Brendan Fraser and company unearth the title character while searching for long-lost treasure at old ruins in the Arabian desert.
54) INDEPENDENCE DAY
Alien attack Earth. None of this storyline is believable but it doesn’t matter. When this movie shifts into high gear, it doesn’t slow down a moment for logic.
55) THE MASK OF ZORRO
Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Anthony Hopkins in a swashbuckler in Old California as the old Zorro trains a new Zorro to defeat the bad guys.
56) DEEP RISING
On the high seas, mercenaries arrive at the ocean-liner they intend to rob only to discover that a monster from deep has taken over the ship. Treat Williams is the wisecracking, cowardly hero.
57) THE DEEP BLUE SEA
At sea, a storm unleashes scientifically enhanced sharks that take over their floating lab and the research crew becomes bait. Watch Samuel L. Jackson.
58) VANISHING POINT
Car chase movie. The whole movie is a car chase. A guy bets that he can drive his Dodge muscle car from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. The local cops and Highway Patrol think different.
59) OPEN RANGE
Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner are cowboys who anger a big ranch owner. A little slow in the beginning but a long, cool gunfight at the climax more than makes up for it.
60) LAWMAN
Marshal Burt Lancaster arrives in the town of Sabbath to arrest a group of men who accidentally killed a man during a drunken party in his town. Lancaster won’t be bought off, scared off, or bend the rules while doing his duty. He’s scary.
61) THE FUGITIVE
Doctor Harrison Ford is wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. He escapes in a really cool bus-train crash. He searches for the real killer as lawman Tommy Lee Jones searches for him.
62) TRUE LIES
Arnold is a master super spy. Jamie Lee Curtis is his wife who doesn’t know her husband is America’s top secret agent. Fun stuff. Tom Arnold is Arnold’s sidekick buddy.
63) SOUTHERN COMFORT
Military training maneuvers in Bayou country. A squad of National Guard weekenders get lost, steal some locals’ boats then shoot blanks at them. Not a smart plan. Well-done suspenseful little film.
64) A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Average family guy, Viggo Mortensen, takes out two vicious criminals like a hot knife going through butter. The entire town is shocked. Is Mortensen the guy everyone thinks he is? Maria Bello is the wife.
65) THE LAST SAMURAI
The only Tom Cruise movie I like. Cruise is a Civil War veteran who ends up in the middle of a war in feudal Japan.
66) WHERE EAGLES DARE
Richard Burton, Eastwood and an elite group of commandos attempt to rescue a U.S. General from a Nazi mountain stronghold. One action sequence after another. Hard to believe Eastwood plays sidekick to Burton in one of his early roles.
67) FIRST BLOOD
Vietnam vet Sylvester Stallone drifts into a town in the Pacific Northwest. He pisses off the local authorities who then proceed to piss him off.
68) HEAT
Career criminal Robert DeNiro and veteran cop Al Pacino face off in the streets of Los Angeles in this high-octane thriller.
69) AIR FORCE ONE
Terrorists take over the President’s plane but they don’t realize that the President is Harrison Ford. Kick but and take names ensues.
70) SILVERADO
This homage to the B-western is just plain fun as gunfighters Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, and a young Kevin Costner face the bad guys who have taken over their hometown.
71) RIO BRAVO
John Wayne is the sheriff, Dean Martin and Walter Brennan are his broken-down deputies, and Angie Dickinson is the girl. Howard Hawks directs the smooth screenplay as Wayne holds a prisoner against the bad guys who want him free. Good stuff.
72) LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
Bruce Willis is back for a fourth time as cop John McClane. This time he must rescue his daughter from the super bad guys with the help of a young inexperienced hacker. Wild ride, with incredible stunts, from beginning to end.
73) DIE HARD 2
This time cop John McClane (Willis) faces renegade military commandos at a snowbound airport. Not nearly as good as the first or the fourth but pretty darn good.
74) SPECIES
Scientists mix alien DNA with human DNA and create a monster. Well, of course. Dumb scientists. Haven’t they ever seen a sci-fi horror flick before.
75) BANDOLERO!
Outlaw brothers James Stewart and Dean Martin ride with hostage Raquel Welch into bandit country to escape lawman George Kennedy. This movie shouldn’t be on any list but every time I turn it on, I watch it to the end.
76) ROAD HOUSE
Big time B-movie. Patrick Swayze is the ultimate bouncer who takes the job of protecting the only clean bar in a mob-controlled town. Fist city, man.
77) THEM! (1954)Giant ants, created by atomic bomb tests, come out of the desert and head for Los Angeles. Really good for a Fifties sci-fi thriller.

2008-04-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

2008-04-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Facts about the year 1908

I received this in an email from my cousin. Thought I'd share.

One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :
************ ********* ********* ******
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

3. Diarrhea

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea
Hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.'

Eighteen percent of households had at least
One full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

2008-04-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

SUMMER IS COMING
And that’s means the Movie Blockbusters!
*

Below are the opening dates for the summer movies I think will be cool:

Iron Man ( May2)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22 – this one I’ll go see in the theatre)
Sex and the City (May 30)
The Incredible Hulk (June 13)
Wall-E (June 27)
Wanted (June 27)
Hancock (July 2)
The Dark Knight (July 18 – this one and old Indy are at the top of my must-see list)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11)
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (July 11)
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (July 25 – I believe, I believe)

It’s going to be a geek summer at the movies. :)

2008-04-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

TOP TEN BEST BANDS

My favorite rock bands of all time. I started thinking about that after my previous blog. What are my favorites:

1) The Beatles

2) The Beach Boys (I grew up in Southern California ... how could they not be near the top of the list)

3) The Eagles

4) Creedence Clearwater Revival

5) Queen

6) Lynyrd Skynyrd

7) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

8) The Doors

9) The Guess Who

10) Boston

The Beatles - The Long and Winding Road

2008-04-12T17:49:00.001-07:00

This came on the radio today and I completely stopped to listen. One of my favorites.

2008-04-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

WATCH ON THE RHINE

Okay, now I've seen Watch on the Rhine. I had high expectations. The play on which it was based was written by Lillian Hellman and the screenplay was penned by Dashiell Hammett. Pretty damn good writing credentials there. It stars Bette Davis who, for my vote, is in the top ten movie actresses of all time. No, make that top five and I don't know who the other four would be at the moment. And Paul Lukas beat out Bogie in Casablanca for the Best Actor Oscar. Yep, high expectations.

While Watch on the Rhine and Casablanca share some similar themes, Casablanca is a timeless movie (and one of my all-time favorites) and Watch is a movie of its time. Some movies retain their magic over the years while others do not. I can understand why the Academy gave the Oscar to Lukas but they blew it (they've done this before and will again in the future). Bogie should have won. Bogie wasn't an actor playing Rick Blaine. Bogie is Rick Blaine and still is.

If you're a film history buff, most definitely seek out Watch on the Rhine. If you just like good movies, visit (or re-visit) Casablanca. Go there for the waters.

2008-04-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

JAMIE LEE CURTIS BATHING

I did a blog a while back with photos of Miz Curtis (I think it had to with strange Hollywood legends). I've had more hits on that particular blog than any other I've done. So here's Jamie Lee bathing in blood. While you're here, check out my links to my novels over on the right ... The Inheritance (winner of the 2003 Dream Realm Award for horror) ... Rebel Nation (alternative history-thriller) ... To the Mountain of the Beast (Alien meets Lonesome Dove sci-fi/horror set in the Old West) ... it would be easy to image Miz Curtis as Sierra Price in TI ... or as McKenna Alexander in RN ... or as Laci McCulloh in TTMOTB. Honest, I'm not kidding. After you've read one or more of my novels, you can write me here and tell me whether or not you agree. I'll listen and respond to your letter. Cool. Get to it. Order now. No lines to wait in. Go. Now. Talk to you soon. Here's a few more photos as a bonus.

(Hey, how'd Jennifer Connelly sneak in there? OK, now you have to buy two novels. Picture Ms. Curtis in one and Ms. Connelly in the other.)

2008-04-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

2008-04-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

FLASHBACK

The other day I learned about Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/). It's a web-site that shows old TV programs. Some are clips but it also has full episodes of some TV series. First I watched the first episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show then I found myself watching Lou Grant. This show is still cool. It holds up well. I'll be watching more. (Note to self: You gotta get a life.)

2008-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

CHARLTON HESTON

1924-2008

Actor Charlton Heston has passed away at the age of 84. He was best known for his performances in movie blockbusters of the 1950s & 1960s. He was in The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur (for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor, The Greatest Show on Earth, and The Agony and the Ecstasy. Heston also stepped into the political arena from time-to-time. He marched with Martin Luther King for Civil Rights and was the spokesperson for the NRA. While I didn't agree with some of his political views, he was always a screen presence. Some of my personal favorites among his films are:

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Touch of Evil

The 3 Musketeers (1973 -- and its sequel The Four Musketeers)

The Big Country

Soylent Green

Major Dundee

Will Penny

Chiefs (TV mini-series)

The Private War of Major Benson.

Exclusive! Deception trailer

2008-04-05T18:59:00.001-07:00

Hugh Jackman ... Ewan McGregor ... Michelle Williams ... looks cool

2008-04-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

IN THE QUEUE

I went to the Netflix site to check out what I have in my line-up. I discover that 3 selections are listed as "Long Wait" and 3 others are listed as "Short Wait." I guess I'm the only one who wants to see my other picks.

Under Long Wait:

American Gangster with Denzel and Crowe.

In the Valley of Elah with Tommy Lee and Charlize Theron.

Watch on the Rhine. This one surprised me. It's an old 1943 flick with Bette Davis that has just been released on DVD. Pre-World War Two storyline. Three reasons I picked it other than I've never seen it before: 1) the plot sounded intriguing. 2) Davis is one of our best actresses ever. 3) Paul Lukas won the Best Actor Oscar for his role. (He beat Bogie in Casablanca so he'd better be spectacular).

Under Short Wait:

The Hunting Party with Gere.

Eureka: First Season. Never caught this one when it was on Sci-Fi Channel.

Hitman with Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant.

and

I Could Never Be Your Woman with Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd.

I know. It's a weird batch of movies to be thrown together.

2008-03-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

10 THOUGHTS TO PONDER

or not

Number 10:
Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 9:
Good health is merely
the slowest possible rate at
which one can die.

Number 8:
Men have two emotions:
Hungry and Horny.
If you see him not horny,
make him a sandwich.

Number 7:
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day,
teach a person to use the Internet and
they won't bother you for weeks.

Number 6:
Some people are like a Slinky ...
not really good for anything,
but you still can't help but smile
when you shove them down the stairs.

Number 5:
Health extremists are
going to feel stupid someday,
lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Number 4:
All of us could take a lesson from the weather.
It pays no attention to Criticism.

Number 3:
Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200.00
and a substantial tax cut saves you $30.00?

Number 2:
In the 60's,
people took acid to make the world weird.
Now the world is weird
and people take Prozac to make it normal.

And Number 1
We know exactly where one cow
with Mad-cow-disease
is located among millions
and millions of cows
in America
but we haven't got a clue as to where
millions of illegal immigrants
and terrorists are located.
Maybe we should put the
Department of Agriculture
in charge .

2008-03-30T09:12:00.001-07:00

Richard Widmark with Marilyn Monroe
in Don't Bother to Knock

2008-03-30T08:46:00.001-07:00

RICHARD WIDMARK

1914-2008

Actor Richard Widmark passed away this week at the age of 93. On IMDb today, there's a vote on what his best role was. 67% of voters said they were unfamiliar with his work. That's a shame. He was a good actor. He was a performer who when playing a westerner or gangster or cop you just believed him. If he was the leader of a group of soldiers you believed his squad would follow him. Below are a few of his best movies:

***

Judgment at Nuremberg

Kiss of Death

Pickup on South Street

The Alamo (above with John Wayne)

Coma

Murder on the Orient Express

Cheyenne Autumn

Madigan

2008-03-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES

The college kids I work with "love" going to the movies. Most, however, won't watch a movie flimed in black & white. They don't like them. Too old fogey, I guess. They don't know what they're missing. Below are ten of my favorite B&W movies that are in my DVD collection. Why I don't have The Third Man, Bringing Up Baby, and The Seven Samurai I don't know. I'll have to fix that. (Also I didn't include any westerns -- I could probably write a top ten with just movies directed by John Ford and Howard Hawks.)

Casablanca -- If you only watch one b&w movie, this would be it. Bogie, Bergman, Rains, and cast are perfect in this wartime classic.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington -- Frank Capra directs and Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Claude Rains (again) star in this comedy-drama. This is want we want in a politician.

Roman Holiday -- Romantic comedy with Audrey Hepburn at her lovliest and Gregory Peck being too cool.

The Maltese Falcon -- Bogie is detective Sam Spade in John Huston's filming of the classic hardboiled novel from Dashiell Hammett.

Young Frankenstein -- Mel Brooks' comedy with Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle is one of the funniest movies ever. Period.

The Mark of Zorro -- My kind of swashbuckler with Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell and the great Basil Rathbone as the bad guy.

To Kill a Mockingbird -- Gregory Peck as the American Film Institute's No. One American Hero of all time. He is. "Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing."

Angels with Dirty Faces -- okay, this is a guilty pleasure. Warner Brothers used to grind these kind of gangster movies out by the week. But this one with Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and Bogie is a favorite.

Sahara -- Bogie again. World War Two. Bogie and his small team (a mixture of ragged Allied soldiers) protect a water well in the desert from advancing German troops.

Psycho -- Hitchcock has made several classic movies. This one is a touchstone is the suspense genre. Over 40 years old and the shower scene still scares you.

(Other b&w movies in my collection are: The Big Sleep, Inherit the Wind, King Kong, Teacher's Pet, Them!, and The Last Picture Show.)

2008-03-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Villain from my childhood has just reappeared on DVD.

Boo ... hiss...

2008-03-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rain fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull HD Teaser

2008-03-12T18:02:00.001-07:00

Too cool...

2008-03-11T15:12:00.001-07:00

MORE PHOTOS
FROM National Geographic

***

2008-03-10T18:37:00.001-07:00

AWARD WINNING PHOTOS

FROM National Geographic

A relative sent these to me. Thought I'd share. (Click on photo for enlargement.)

***

This last one is my favorite. Because it looks like something I'd do.

2008-03-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

3 More Films from 2007

(and One TV Series from 2006)

Okay, between working and starting a new screenplay, I've fallen behind in my movie reviews. I've now seen three more 2007 releases.

Rendition has an intriguing storyline and some solid acting but I can't recommend it. Why? Although the movie has an "important" message to convey (and one that should be debated in the political arena), it is still a movie about torture. Shouldn't compare this film with the first Hostel but I did. Not interested in these kind of storylines for movies.

*30 Days of Night is my kind of movie usually. Creepy vampires (not the romantic kind of Bram Stroker or Anne Rice) take over an Alaskan town where the sun goes down and doesn't rise again for 30 days. Should have been fun. It wasn't. Three college students on my staff told me this movie scared them silly. As for me, it didn't. Wow, the Generation Gap is now behind me instead of in front of me. I'm now going to go cry into my pillow.

Death at a Funeral. British dark comedy. British -- yes. Dark -- yes. Comedy -- well, I didn't laugh or even chuckle. I smiled a couple times. Does that count?

Torchwood - Season One. British again. Science fiction TV series. I saw the first two episodes of its first season. It's a spin-off of the Doctor Who series (which I've never seen but now have in my Netflix queue). I was reminded in some ways of one of my all-time favorite series The X-Files. Did I like it? I ordered the entire DVD set and it should arrive within the week. Looking forward to it.

2008-02-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

This movie has been on my "to-see" list for a while. Finally got around to it. It is the story of the forming of the C.I.A. seen through the eyes of one man Edward Wilson (played by Matt Damon) from the Agency's days as the OSS in World War Two through the Bay of Pigs disaster in 1961. It was directed by Robert DeNiro who also plays a small part in the all-star cast including Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, and many others. It has the cinematic look of The Godfather.

Okay, let's get down to it. This three-hour movie feels like a three-hour movie. I have grown to hate the "shaky cam" which is prevalent in so many films lately but this movie might have benefited from it. I understand this wasn't supposed to be a spy movie like James Bond or Jason Bourne. It was supposed to be like the way it really was. Or is. But this was a drag. There were several interesting bits like the adversary relationship between Wilson and his KGB counterpart and the mystery of Wilson's father's suicide. Overall, however, this was a slow-moving story with no fleshed-out characters worth rooting for. Or against. DeNiro should've gone back and looked at The Godfather 's characters. This movie really needed a passionate character like Sonny Corleone or even Fredo.

2008-02-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

80th Academy Awards This Sunday
*

Hmmm… That means 79 Best Picture winners so far. I wondered how many of the Oscar winners I had in my much-too-large DVD collection. So I counted. I have twelve or roughly 15% of the Best Picture winners. They are:
*
CASABLANCA (1943)
One of my favorite movies of all time.
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
Bonnie & Clyde should have won.
THE GODFATHER (1972)
Yep, another all-time favorite.
THE STING (1973)
I like this popcorn Newman-Redford movie but American Graffiti should’ve won.
ROCKY (1976)
All the President’s Men or the still powerful and creepy Taxi Driver should’ve won.
DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
I like Kevin Costner and his film choices and I’m not apologizing for it.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
Very cool thriller.
UNFORGIVEN (1992)
Not in my Top Ten of westerns but very, very good.
FORREST GUMP (1994)
Shawshank Redemption should’ve won.
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998)
I like this movie but Saving Private Ryan (despite a soft center) should’ve won.
GLADIATOR (2000)
The appeal of this movie has faded for me.
LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
This trilogy is incredible from beginning to end.

2008-02-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

WE OWN THE NIGHT
&
GONE BABY GONE

Two more 2007 films. Thrillers both. Night has a better storyline but Gone has intriguing characters and a solid Boston atmosphere. Despite terrific casts in both, these films are just okay. Nothing special in either. Perhaps if they’d combined the two then we would’ve had one really terrific movie. With Night, I had problems with Joaquin Phoenix’s character getting a “special” assignment with the police before going to the academy (hey, it may happen in real life but it sounds like a writer’s trick) and the director James Gray needs to study some old gangster and western movies to see how a gunfight should be staged. With Gone, the “surprise” ending is no surprise at all and quite boring. Michelle Monaghan has second building but she’s really just the sidekick to Casey Affleck. I bet there was more to her to the Dennis Lehane novel than ended up on the screen. Oh, well.

The next 2007 movies on my list are: No Reservations, American Gangster, and Michael Clayton.

2008-02-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

5 Classic Movie Suggestions for Valentine's Day

Casablanca with Bergman & Bogart

Friendly Persuasion with McGuire & Cooper

The Quiet Man with O'Hara & Wayne

Roman Holiday with Hepburn & Peck

Singin' in the Rain with Reynolds & Kelly

5 Newer Movie Suggestions for Valentine's Day

The American President with Bening & Douglas

As Good as It Gets with Hunt & Nicholson

Notting Hill with Roberts & Grant

Shakespeare in Love with Paltrow & Fiennes

Shall We Dance? with Sarandon & Gere

2008-02-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

I Am Legend

2008-01-06T15:16:00.001-08:00

Not a perfect movie but very good.

2008-01-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

New Year: 2008

The new year has finally arrived. Please, please, be a better year than 2007.

I have made some resolutions and I will share:

1) Quit smoking (the patches have been purchased)

2) Lose 15-20 pounds (mostly around my chocolate-chip-cookie gut)

3) Go out on a first date sometime before the year ends (haven't been on a date since Annie and I separated then divorced)

4) Sell (or at least have optioned) a screenplay

5) Play Texas Hold 'em in a casino (but don't get hooked on gambling because those big casinos didn't become big casinos by letting people like me win)

2007-12-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

MY TOP TEN OF 2007

There are still several films released in 2007 that I haven't seen yet --- I Am Legend, Juno, Enchanted, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Eastern Promises -- but I doubt I'll see them before year's end. So below is my Top Ten Movies of the year that I did see. The top three I enjoyed so much that I picked up DVD copies of them. I'll probably end up with a couple others in my library, too. Anyway, here's my list with No. 1 being my favorite.

1) The Lookout. Crime thriller by Scott Frank. Well-done characters, solid storyline with Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Jeff Daniels. Levitt is a star high school hockey player. Life is wonderful and a bright future lays ahead of him. Then he's in a car accident that leaves him with brain damage and little prospects. He gets a job as a graveyard shift janitor at a local town bank and attempts to rebuild his life. No more story hints. This is a story that the less you know the better it is. See this one. It's cool. Jeff Daniels plays Levitt's blind roommate.

2) Live Free and Die Hard. Yep, Bruce Willis is back as cop John McClane and, despite being older, he is still neck-deep in high-tech bad guys and incredible stunts. Popcorn thriller that I just thoroughly enjoyed. Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant is the main bad guy.

3) Stardust. Fantasy adventure with Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro and Charlie Cox as the noble Tristan. Not everything works as well as it should but this is fun. I especially liked Pfeiffer as the evil witch, De Niro as the sky pirate, and the ghosts of the murdered princes. Makes me smile just thinking about them.

4) 3:10 to Yuma. A remake of the old Glenn Ford western with Russell Crowe as the captured outlaw and Christian Bale as the poor rancher taking him to jail. Pretty damn good (except for part of the end but the original stumbled there, too.) This is the first Crowe movie I've liked since L.A. Confidential.

5) Distrubia. A spin on the Hitchcock Rear Window storyline with Shia LaBeouf as a high school kid on home arrest who, while watching his neighbors, discovers one (the always reliable David Morse) may be up to no good. Not a classic like the Hitchcock movie with James Stewart and Grace Kelly but good.

The second half of my top ten are:

6) Ratatouille.

7) The Bourne Ultimatum.

8) Breach.

9) Wild Hogs.

10) 28 Weeks Later.

I know. A strange group of movies but I recommend them all.

Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

2007-12-23T06:14:00.001-08:00

2007-12-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

SHADE
#

Sometimes I stumble across a movie that I hadn’t heard of that turns out to be a pretty decent little film. Shade (2003) was released in a few theatres then went to cable and now DVD. I am surprised that it didn’t receive a wider release and more press.
*
The story centers around three grifters played by Stuart Townsend (a master card mechanic), Gabriel Byrne, and Thandie Newton. They used to be partners in the con-game racket until they had a falling out. They have reunited to take down the reigning king of poker players (and card mechanics) the “Dean” Stevens played, very coolly, by Sylvester Stallone, who plans on retiring after this final game.
*
The less you know going into the movie the better. It is part young talented newcomer wants to beat the old pro and part how do con artists work their trade storylines. It was written and directed by first-timer Damian Nieman who is a card magician. In supporting roles many well-known faces pop up such as Jamie Foxx, Michael Dorn, Bo Hopkins, Hal Holbrook, and the lovely Melanie Griffith as the “Dean” Stevens’ love interest. There are several twists and turns in the story and I’ll have to say a few caught me by surprise. I liked that. Especially when I usually spot the “big” surprise coming from a mile off or the “twist” turns out to be a really lame surprise like in The Usual Suspects or Unbreakable.
*
If you like film noir and films like The Hustler, The Sting, Big Hand for a Little Lady, and Paper Moon, check this movie out. You’ll enjoy the experience. P.S. -- "Shade" is the term for a diversion that focuses people in another direction other than looking at the con artist.

2007-12-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

My Referral Check and Ms. Jamie Lee Curtis

Every once in a while I check the referral option to see how folks are ending up on my blog. Most of the visitors are from the U.S. but I've also had folks recently from Argentina, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K. Welcome. My latest check found that people are stopping by to check out pieces I've written about:

Christmas Story

Deadwood

Louis L'Amour's Hanging Woman Creek (a longer review)

Live Free and Die Hard (a short review)

Maureen O'Hara

Tom Selleck westerns

James Stewart westerns

Kate Walsh

but an usual amount (quite a few actually) were people (okay, it was probably all guys) looking for info about Jamie Lee Curtis .... hmmm ... okay, guys, below are a couple pictures of Ms. Curtis. After you check them out, please click on the link to my novels and check them out. A sale or two would be nice for providing this service.

2007-12-16T09:12:00.000-08:00

Some Things I've Learned

Some things I’ve learned in life so far:
*
As a writer, I’ve learned if you steal from one writer it’s plagiarism but if you steal from a buncha writers at the same time it’s homage.
*
I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
*
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just self-centered jerks.
*
I've learned that one good turn gets most of the blankets.
*
I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
*
I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
*
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
*
I've learned that it is not what you wear; it is how you take it off.
*
I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
*
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are gone much too soon and the real pains in the ass are permanent.

{If you're wondering, I stole this list. Except the first one.}

(The picture above of Jennifer Connelly has absolutely nothing to do with this post except I watched one of my favorite movies the other night and she is one of the stars. If you haven’t seen The Rocketeer, check out it. It does what “fun” movies are supposed to do but rarely do. Plus Ms. C is in it.)

2007-12-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

JOKE TIME

Two alien scientists in space are scanning Planet Earth.

First alien: "It appears that the dominant life-forms on this planet have developed satellite-based weapons."

Second alien: "Should we be worried? Are they an emerging intelligence?"

"I don't think so," replies the first. "They have the weapons aimed at themselves."

2007-11-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from

Rebel Nation

by Christopher Stires

(available from http://www.zumayapublications.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/)

McKenna Alexander watched, stunned, powerless, as the CS marshal hustled her handcuffed attorney from the judge's chamber.
“Damnation,” the judge growled. He pressed a handful of yellow tissues to his bleeding nose and tilted his head back. “Give me a moment, people.”
As McKenna sat with the others in the office, she counted the crimson periods dotting the judge’s crisp white shirt. Four. No, five. Blood had also dripped onto the judge’s striped bow tie. Oh, God. She had been confident that the charges against her would be dismissed; absolute in her vindication. Had been. Until one minute ago. Now, however, the only question left unanswered was – how much jail time would she receive before she was run out of the country?
“Excuse me,” the judge said, rising awkwardly from his black-leather chair. He edged his head further back and pinched the nostrils harder. Then he walked into the office bathroom. The dark walnut door remained open.
From the hall corridor, a second marshal stepped inside.
All in the chamber were quiet.
McKenna twisted the delicate gold chain on her wrist. She should have accepted the NBC anchor job. Landry had offered the network position twice. He had flattered her unmercifully with the proposals each time. Not only, he’d said in his coarse Texas drawl, would she be the first female anchor on any of the television networks in the South but, at thirty-four, she would also be the youngest. The ratings for the network evening news were up and, even the suits in New York, credited her with the increase. The latest viewer surveys showed that people liked and, more importantly, trusted her. Plus, she had proven herself time and time again with the hard news stories and interviews she delivered.
She’d noted that Landry had tactfully avoided the disasters she had been involved with. He also didn’t mention all the mail the network had received when he first brought her to Richmond four years ago. It was bad enough, most of the letters and e-mail read, that the network was owned by Yankees. They could live with that since they had to but they definitely didn’t want some blonde Yankee bitch telling them the news each night. If it hadn’t been for Cullen’s encouragement, she didn’t know whether or not she would have survived the first year.
She said no to the anchor position. Both times. She told Landry she loved Richmond, she had made her home here after all, and the city on the James River was the Confederate nation’s capitol, and this was where national policy and agenda were decided, but Richmond was not the entire Confederacy and she enjoyed living out of a duffel bag and not knowing in which of the thirteen states she would be each week. On Monday she could be in Tennessee and by Friday in the Carolinas and the following Tuesday in New Mexico. She would miss the road and the adventure. And she hated the idea of being locked behind a desk introducing other reporters who would be doing the assignments she wanted.
This morning that decision was moot.
The Confederate Attorney General had decided that she did not want McKenna covering any news stories. Even events like the cotton harvest in the Texas Panhandle and fishing conditions in the Louisiana Bayou were too much for her. She wanted McKenna a vague memory.
But McKenna would not go gently. Not for the Attorney General, not for anyone.

from the 5-Star reviews at Amazon:

"Awesome read! Great details and world building! ... If you've ever even toyed with the idea of reading alternate history, this book is for you!"

"...delivers from the very beginning ... a thumping good read."

"...held my interest until the very last page... a good mystery."

"Just when I thought the theme of the South winning the Civil War had been done to death this author proves me wrong."

"...compelling book. From its first page..."

As Time Goes By

2007-11-24T20:30:00.001-08:00

2007-11-22T16:50:00.000-08:00

LIVE FREE or DIE HARD

Finally got to see the fourth Die Hard movie. Over-the-top? Yes. Bruce Willis still cool as Detective John McClane? Yes. They blow stuff up real cool? Of course. Better villain than Alan Rickman in DH1? Well, no. Hans Gruber is one of my favorite movie bad guys of all time. Timothy Olyphant of Deadwood is just okay.

How would I sum up Die Hard 4?

Yippee-ki-yay!

2007-11-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

Don't be shy, tell me what you really think...

2007-11-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

MORON JOKES

(replace the word "moron" with your favorite group to pick on)

Two morons living in Oklahoma were talking, and one moron says to the other, 'Which do you think is farther away... Florida or the moon?'

The other moron turns and says 'Helloooooooooo, can you see Florida ?'

A moron pushes their BMW into a gas station. Tells the mechanic it died.

After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.

Moron says, 'What's the story?'

He replies, 'Just crap in the carburetor'

Moron asks, 'How often do I have to do that?'

A moron is out walking and comes to a river. Sees another moron on the opposite bank 'Yoo-hoo!' moron shouts, 'How can I get to the other side?'

The second moron looks up the river then down the river and shouts back, 'You ARE on the other side.'

A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the driver behind the wheel was knitting! Realizing that the moron was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, 'PULL OVER!'

'NO!' the moron yelled back, 'IT'S A SCARF!'

A moron was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. It was their turn. The moron rolled the dice and landed on Science & Nature. Their question was, 'If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?'

The moron thought for a time and then asked, 'Is it on or off?'

A moron visiting a moron friend, who had acquired two new dogs, and asked what their names were.

The second moron responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex.

The first moron said, 'Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that?'

'HELLLOOOOOOO,' answered the second moron. 'They're watch dogs!

2007-11-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

HANGING WOMAN CREEK (1964)
by
Louis L’Amour
*
A Review
*

When I was younger, Louis L’Amour was one of my favorite writers. But he dropped off the Top Ten list quite a while ago. I discovered writers like William Goldman, Larry McMurtry, and Stephen King who far surpassed him in style, characterization, and plot. I also read more in my younger days, too. Had more time. I still love a good novel though. A good, compelling novel with cool style and solid characters is better than a movie and I love movies. Anyway, my own writing is struggling at the moment (to say the least) and, after I finished my day-off chores I decided to read something. Anything. But I wanted to read. (I had one more item on my day-off something-fun list. See blog below for that adventure.) I went to a nearby used book store and found myself in the western section. I bought Hanging Woman Creek. I didn’t recall having read it before.

Barnabas “Pronto” Pike is a foot-loose cowboy who likes to get into fistfights for fun. Winter is coming on and Pike doesn’t have a job. He picks up a new partner, Eddie Holt, who is a black cowboy who once worked with Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show. Pike and Holt get jobs working a line cabin on the Bar J cattle ranch’s far perimeter. They get the jobs because no one else will take it because a vicious gang of rustlers has been working that area. Soon they met their closest neighbors, Philo Farley, a homesteader who served in the British Army, and his sister, Ann. All goes well for a while then a full-out range war between cattlemen, homesteaders, and rustlers erupts and finds Pike square in the middle of it.

First, Pike is well drawn as a character and a narrator. Also the places L’Amour talks about and the daily ranching tasks he describes are solid. You know instantly that the author knows what he is talking about. You believe. On the downside, the novel is only 150 pages and should have been much longer. The other characters (there seems to be about a hundred) are quick-drawn shadows and the main villain finally appears at the halfway mark. You also wonder why a couple other villains were even included. And events happen quickly. Too quickly. Didn’t believe the spark between Pike and Ann. L’Amour is one of the best-selling authors of all-time. He has a lean sparse style that reads well. But. I guess if I was recommending L’Amour to a first-time reader I wouldn’t tell them to start with this one. Then again, perhaps, L’Amour hasn’t changed at all. Maybe I have.

2007-11-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

STRESS RELIEF
*

The aches and knots in my body had reached the point where I was having trouble sleeping. I decided it was time to schedule a massage appointment. I used to go regularly (about once a month or so). I went to the same massage therapist named Linda. Always felt better afterwords. Then Linda moved away. Went a couple times to her replacement but it wasn't the same. Tried a couple other therapists. One was okay but the other wasn't. At $60 an hour -- okay doesn't cut it. I pretty much stopped going.

The other day I decided it was time to try again. I went to the local Internet pages. Found a place not too far away (10 minutes drive time) that specialized in Tuina Chinese massage. I've always done Swedish (okay, I did deep tissue a couple of times and it nearly killed me.) The spa also advertised a free table shower for the first visit. No idea what that was. Anyway, I called and made an appointment.

I arrived. Spa was clean and neat. Always a good sign. I met Cindy who would be my therapist. (She weighed, I guess, between 90 to 100 pounds. This will be important later.) I went into the room and undressed. Wrapped the towel around me and laid face down as instructed. This was new. In all my Swedish massages, I began face-up. Cindy asked if I had any trouble spots. Shoulders and lower back, I replied. She began. She used her thumbs and palms more than I was used to but the knots began to pop. She also used her forearms. Felt good.

Then it got strange. At least for me. As she began kneading my lower back and hips, she climbed onto the table. Never had a therapist do that before. Then she was straddling me. Okay, now I was getting nervous. She worked on my back and butt for a while then she moved on top of me. I could feel her knees kneading my butt. Then she stood up and worked on my butt and higher with her feet and full body weight. The tension began to melt away. Soon after, she was down and had me roll over. Now, for the first time, I noticed a set of bars stretching across the room, over the table, near the ceiling. She must've been holding onto them as she stood on me. Anyway, she worked on my legs, hips, and chest then finished with a facial massage. I was in the zone. Felt terrific.

Cindy, while looking away, gave me a large towel to wrap myself in. After I did, I followed her to the Jacuzzi table shower room. There I discovered what a table shower was. I laid down face first in a large shower tub. I was rinsed with warm-hot water then lightly scrubbed with Dove soap and rinsed off. Then she turned me turn over. Nothing inappropriate occurred. But this was totally different than any massage I'd ever had before. Whoa. When I left, I felt rejuvenated. Knots and tension was gone. I think I'll be going to see Cindy again. Next month at the earliest. Can't afford $60 an hour plus tip too often.

P.S. -- When I talked to my nephew, Brian, about going to a Chinese massage spa, he made a joke and said, "No happy endings, Uncle Chris." I must be getting older or I stepped off the slang train at some point. I didn't get it. Then I did. Oh, geez. All I wanted was a massage to relieve the tension and knots in my body. I've never used the services of a "hooker" in my life and I don't intend to start now. Note to Bri-guy: my massage had a happy ending but not that happy ending. I'm still pure. Okay, I'm not pure but in that area ... ah, hell, forget this tangent.

2007-11-09T18:59:00.001-08:00

2007-11-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

WRITERS' STRIKE

Members of the Writers Guild have gone on strike and TV shows are shutting down production. (BTW, I hope the writers get what they're asking for.) In the meantime, TV programmers are going to fill the empty time slots with reality shows, game shows, and news programs. I've decided to create the Stires TV Network and listed below is our prime-time programs:

Monday:

8PM: I Love Lucy
8:30PM: The Dick Van Dyke Show
9PM: Cheers
9:30PM: Taxi
10PM: The Rockford Files

Tuesday:

8PM: Leave It to Beaver
830PM: The Andy Griffith Show
9PM: All in the Family
9:30PM: M*A*S*H
10PM: Magnum P.I.

Wednesday:

8PM: Little House on the Prairie
9PM: Grey’s Anatomy

10PM: House M.D.

Thursday:

8PM: The Mary Tyler Moore Show
830PM: Bewitched
9PM: Night Court
9:30PM: Barney Miller
10PM: L.A. Law

Friday:

8PM: Star Trek: The Next Generation
9PM: The X-Files
10PM: Firefly

Saturday:

8PM: Have Gun, Will Travel
830PM: Gunsmoke
930PM: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

10PM: Law & Order

Sunday:

7PM: 60 Minutes
8PM: The Wonderful World of Disney
9PM: Colombo Movie

(I stayed with network programming that's why Sex & the City, The Sopranos, and Deadwood aren't listed.)

2007-11-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

OBSERVATION
*

The trouble with political jokes is that they sometimes get elected.

2007-11-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

OH, LUCKY ME!!!!

I can't believe my good fortune. I received not one but two emails today informing me that I had won one million dollars pounds sterling in two separate UK lotteries. What are the odds? I have to be the luckiest bozo in the world. Gosh darn, how will I spend my new found wealth? My head is spinning. All I have to do to reply email with the following information:

To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary agent Mr. Roy Phil (it's Dr. Jones Walker at the other lottery) with the feed Verification/Fund Release Form Below :

1.Full Name:

2.Full Address:

3.Marital Status:

4.Occupation:

5.Age:

6.Sex:

7.Nationality:

8.Country Of Residence:

9.Telephone Number:

Wow ... now I can put in a real offer for the Golden Gate Bridge to that nice realtor.

2007-11-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

A RELATIVE SENT THIS TO ME

STATUE OF LIBERTY

(look closely ... those are soldiers lined up)

2007-11-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

JUST WONDERING...

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why do they call it "lipstick" if you can still move your lips?

Why do doctors call what they do "practice"?

2007-11-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

KISSING ... Better
*

On MSN, there's an article on how to improve your kissing technique (http://msn.match.com/msn/article.aspx?articleid=8955&TrackingID=516311&BannerID=544657&menuid=6&GT1=10582). Here are their suggestions:

1) Lean to the right (if I'm a liberal can I lean to the left?)

2) Close your eyes (that way you can imagine you're with someone else because that's what your partner is probably doing ... hopefully you have a partner)

3) Get your hands in to the action (depending on where your hands go you'll either get slapped, a restraining order, or lucky {insert here Public Service message about Safe Sex practices})

4) Pause before you pucker (yes, always start your little timer before kissing)

5) Chuck your gum (when I was little I was taught that sharing was polite ... all these contradictions in life are confusing.)

6) No brushstrokes (okay, but how else to you get the food crumbs from dinner off your partner's face except with your tongue?)