ANOTHER WESTERN MARATHON

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I watched more western movies again this week. The marathon came to a peak today when I went to the theatre and saw the new 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. A good western but not great. The ending, although different from the original, doesn't work. The original has problems with its ending, too. Crowe and Bale given solid, believable performances but the two stand-outs for me were Ben Foster as Charlie Prince and Alan Tudyk as Doc Potter.

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The other westerns I watched this week were John Ford's Rio Grande starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara; Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece The Wild Bunch with William Holden and Robert Ryan and Ride the High Country with Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea; and Seven Men from Now starring Scott and a young Lee Marvin.

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Good movies. Ride the High Country has one of my favorite movies lines in it. When asked what he wants, ex-lawman Steve Judd (McCrea) replies, "All I want is to enter my house justified."

WESTERN DVD WISH LIST

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Several westerns that I recall from my childhood and junior-high days have stayed with me. A couple I've seen recently on the Westerns Encore Channel and TCM, but most are only memories in my mind’s eye. The following list is ten westerns that aren’t available on DVD and I wish they were. I know I’d probably be disappointed in at least a couple but I’d probably end up buying them anyway.

In chronological order:

WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1952)
Robert Taylor (Quo Vadis, Ivanhoe) guides a wagon train of mail-order brides to California. A rare western where the female characters aren’t schoolmarms or saloon girls (as they used to say in the Hayes Code era). Plus Taylor’s sidekick buddy is Japanese. This film seems ripe for a remake. Calling Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott.

THE LAST COMMAND (1955)
Sterling Hayden (The Asphalt Jungle, The Godfather) plays Jim Bowie during his final days before and up to the Alamo. Ernest Borgnine (The Wild Bunch, Marty) plays Bowie’s adversary then buddy in one of the actor’s early roles. A lean, tight climax with the fall of the Alamo.

THE TALL T (1957)
The second film, in a loose series, starring Randolph Scott (Ride the High Country) and directed by Budd Boetticher. Scott and a wealthy woman are held for ransom by a trio of bad guys led by the always-terrific Richard Boone (TV’s Have Gun, Will Travel). A very lean, no frills movie.

FORT DOBBS (1958)
The first movie starring TV’s Clint Walker (Cheyenne). An old-school Indians-on-the-warpath storyline. A very cool supporting role by Brian Keith (The Parent Trap, TV’s Family Affair).

RIDE LONESOME (1959)
Another in the series by Scott and Boetticher. This one has Pernell Roberts (TV’s Bonanza) and Lee Van Cleef (The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly) in it. And the first role for an actor named James Coburn (The Magnificent Seven, Affliction).

YELLOWSTONE KELLY (1959)
Clint Walker again. Here he plays a mountain man who becomes involved in another Indians-on-the-warpath storyline. Walker is surrounded by every contract player at Warner Brothers in the late 1950’s. As a kid, I remember really liking this movie. One of the small parts is played by the great character actor Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch, Stripes).

HEAVEN WITH A GUN (1969)
Glenn Ford (3:10 to Yuma, Superman) plays a gunfighter turned preacher in a lawless town. David Carradine (Kill Bill, TV’s Kung Fu) is one of the bad guys and Barbara Hershey (Hoosiers, Beaches) has one of her first roles. This one I’m afraid is probably a stinker.

HANNIE CAULDER (1971)
This movie shouldn’t be on any list. One look at the picture at the top of the blog should explain why. Raquel Welch (The Three Musketeers, Legally Blonde) becomes a gunfighter to track down the three brothers who murdered her husband and raped her. She spends the first half of the film wearing only a poncho and the second half wearing skin-tight leather pants and the beloved poncho. The brothers are played in a demented Three Stooges style by Ernest Borgnine and two great character actors Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and Jack Elam (Support Your Local Sheriff, Once Upon a Time in the West). Robert Culp (TV’s I Spy) and Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) are also in the cast but you’d swear they were in a different (and better) movie. Whoa, I remember more about this one than I thought.

CENTENNIAL (1978)
This is a 21 hour mini-series for television. It spanned 200 years around a town in Colorado. It starred just about every dramatic TV actor of the day. Robert Conrad (The Wild Wild West), Richard Chamberlain (who did about a 100 TV mini-series), David Janssen (The Fugitive), Dennis Weaver (Gunsmoke, McCloud), Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) and dozens more. But this series, based on the James Michener novel, was very well done. Solid entertainment.

Maybe Centennial makes up for Hannie Caulder. Nope, pilgrim, it don't.

3:10 to Yuma - Trailer

TOP BOX OFFICE 2007
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According to Box Office Mojo, these are the top grossing movies so far in the good ol’ USA. (The Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me is #100 – IMBd voters gave it 3.7 out of 10.)

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1) Spider-Man 3
2) Shrek the Third
3) Transformers
4) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6) 300
7) Ratatouille
8) The Bourne Ultimatum
9) The Simpsons Movie
10) Wild Hogs

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I’ve seen two so far. Wild Hogs in the theatre and 300 on DVD. In the top 100, I’ve also seen Distrubia, 1408, Shooter, and The Lives of Others. Not very current, am I? Most of the films I see anymore are on DVD and cable. I do want to see Stardust and the up-coming 3:10 to Yuma.

BEWILDERING STORIES

TOP TEN MOVIES IN OUTER SPACE

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Shameless plug: My article, The Top Ten Movies in Outer Space, is currently on the Bewildering Stories web-site. Check it out: http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue257/outer_space.html

DEATH AND THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY

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I received this story in the mail the other day from a friend. Oh, God, did I relate to this. So I decided to share:

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A lady died this past January, and credit card company billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge.
The balance had been $0.00, now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to card company.

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Here is the exchange:

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Family Member: "I am calling to tell you she died in January."
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Associate: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."
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Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."

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Associate: "Since it is two months past due, it already has been."

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Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

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Associate: "Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!"

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Family Member: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"

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Associate: "Excuse me?"

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Family Member: "Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?"

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Associate: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor."
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Supervisor comes on line.

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Family Member: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."

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Supervisor: "The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply."

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Family Member: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"

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Supervisor: "Are you her lawyer?"

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Family Member: "No, I'm her great nephew." (Lawyer info given)

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Supervisor: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

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Family Member: "Sure." (Fax number is given)

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After they get the fax:
Supervisor: "Our system just isn't set up for death. I don't know what more I can do to help."

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Family Member: "Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. I don't think she will care."

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Supervisor: "Well, the late fees and charges do still apply."

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Family Member: "Would you like her new billing address?"

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Supervisor: "That might help."

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Family Member: " Odessa Memorial Cemetery ,Highway 129, Plot Number 69."

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Supervisor: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

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Family Member: "What do you do with dead people on your planet?

TOM SELLECK WESTERNS

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Selleck has only made six westerns. In another era in Hollywood (when westerns were made on a regular basis), his starring roles as a westerner would be three or four times that total. Selleck is one of the few working actors who appears right-at-home in this genre.

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The six by release date (latest to oldest) are:

Monte Walsh (2003)

Crossfire Trail (2001)

Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Quigley Down Under (1990)

The Shadow Riders (1982)

The Sacketts (1979)

The highest rated on IMBd is Quigley. My favorite is Crossfire Trail.

Deadwood

the opening credits

The Magnificent Seven

This is one of my favorite westerns and one of my favorite movie themes (I'm finally figuring out how to add videos to the blog) :)

BURT LANCASTER WESTERNS

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During my recent western movie marathon, I rediscovered Burt Lancaster. Solid actor with definite screen prescence. He would be on my list of favorite male actors. He starred in many great films -- such as From Here to Eternity, Elmer Gantry, The Birdman of Alcatraz, and Field of Dreams.

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Listed below are his top ten westerns as rated on IMBd:

1) Gunfight at O.K. Corral (1957)

2) The Professionals (1966)

3) Vera Cruz (1954)

4) The Unforgiven (1960)

5) The Hallelujah Trail (1965)

6) Ulzana's Raid (1972)

7) Apache (1954)

8) Lawman (1971)

9) Valdez is Coming (1971)

10) The Sclaphunters (1968)

JAMES STEWART WESTERNS

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Jimmy Stewart has made some great movies -- such as Rear Window, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and The Philadelphia Story -- but I'm partial to his westerns.

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Listed below are his top rated western movies according to IMBd.

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1) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

2) The Shootist (1976)

3) How the West was Won (1962)

4) Winchester '73 (1950)

5) Destry Rides Again (1939)

6) The Naked Spur (1953)

7) Shenandoah (1965)

8) The Man from Laramie (1955)

9) Bend of the River (1952)

10) The Far Country (1954)

A FAVORITE WESTERN MOVIE QUOTE

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"This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. "

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from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Directed by John Ford

Starring John Wayne, James Stewart,

and Lee Marvin as Valance

WESTERN MOVIE MARATHON

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I just discovered a new blog called Saddlebums WesternReview (http://saddlebums.blogspot.com/) which talks about western novels and movies. There's a terific interview with author Brian Garfield. Check it out.

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Meanwhile I've been having a western marathon around here. Not long ago I talked about The Outlaw Josey Wales being my favorite Eastwood western. Below are a few of the other "cowboy" movies I've been watching.

THE GARAGE DOOR

and other joys of home ownership

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A few months ago, I inherited a house. It's 30 years-old and in pretty good condition. (There's still a mortgage on it so I didn't get it free.) I've never owned my own home before. Always been a renter. Now I'm not. There's something cool about owning the place you live in. You can fix it up the way you want it and lenders suddenly "love" you. On the other hand, when something breaks or just wears out I want to call the landlord and have him/her repair it. I guess I could call my land line on my cell and leave a message for myself. Anyway, today I had a brand-new garage door installed. Looks like the one pictured except mine is dark brown in color. Felt good when I saw it done and the installer drove off with the old dilapidated one. Another home repair off the list. Yes, new garage door installed, front sprinklers replaced, wallpaper removed from master bedroom, master bedroom painted, guest room and guest bath done. Next is to finishing cleaning out the garage so I can park my car in the garage with the new door. Almost there. Then the carpets should be replaced and the front awning and its brick patio (is it still called a patio if it's in the front of the house?), and get grass to grow in that one pesky section of the backyard -- needs a backyard barbecue, too, and a hot tub for midnight skinny-dipping (need to find someone to skinny-dip with, too) and ... and ... and ...

HOLLYWOOD URBAN LEGENDS

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I've always enjoyed these stories and wondered how they got started in the first place. Anyway, over at JoBlo.com (http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=16946) they've listed the Top Ten Most Enduring (I guess) urban legends from Hollywood. Stuff like sexual images in Disney cartoons, that the actors in The Blair Witch Project are still missing, that Brandon Lee's accidential death in The Crow was filmed and is shown in the released film, and in the background of the Yellow Brick Road scene in The Wizard of Oz a midget (or is it "little person" to be P.C.?) is seen hanging himself. I read one, however, that I'd never heard before. Jamie Lee Curtis was born with both sets of sexual organs. Huh? Oh-kay. I guess the only thing to say about that is to repeat the closing line from Some Like It Hot (which starred Jamie Lee's papa.)"Nobody's perfect."

ACTION MOVIE CLICHES

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Check out the article at MovieFone (http://movies.aol.com/worst-movie-cliches/action) about the worst and most-overused cliches in action movies. It's fun.

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Three of my favorites are: 1) when the hero dashes across an open field and the bad guys can't hit him when firing about a 100 rounds at him 2) when every blow to the head of a bad guy (usually a guard) knocks him instantly out -- just once I'd to see the bad guy grab the back of his head and start screaming in pain 3) when a group of bad guys jump the hero to beat him up and attack one-at-a-time -- that must be in the Bad Guy Etiquette Handbook.

EASTWOOD & WESTERNS
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I’m working on a new project. Part of the research has been watching westerns. (I know, a tough job but it has to be done.) Among current actors Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Robert Duvall, and Kevin Costner all do well in the genre. Heck, these men probably were cowboys in their past lives. The superstar among the still-making-movies group, however, is Eastwood. He cut his acting teeth as Rowdy Yates on the 50’s TV series Rawhide. He also made a few unremembered westerns in his youth as well as films like Francis (the Talking Mule) Joins the Navy. But Eastwood’s career took a giant leap in the mid-Sixties. He went to Italy and made a low-budget western with a guy named Sergio Leone called A Fistful of Dollars. Since then he’s been in nine more westerns and one of them won the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. Here’s the list (The Beguiled, Paint Your Wagon and Coogan’s Bluff are not westerns really … two of them may take place in the general historical time period but they are not part of the genre. TB is a Civil War moody something and PYW is a bad musical. CB is a modern day western with a cowboy-goes-to-the-city scenario that is better in idea than in execution. The film just doesn’t hold up after all this time .)

Anyway, here’s the Eastwood western list:

A Fistful of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Hang ‘em High
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Joe Kidd
High Plains Drifter
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Pale Rider
Unforgiven


Unforgiven won the awards and may be Eastwood’s last word on the genre (I hope not but then I hope they'll continue Deadwood, too, over at HBO). The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly holds the Number One spot on the IMDb viewers best western list. For me, The Outlaw Josey Wales is my favorite Eastwood western. Even with Sondra Locke in it, the movie is just totally cool.

Josey Wales: When I get to likin' someone, they ain't around long.

Lone Watie (played by the great Chief Dan George): I notice when you get to DISlikin' someone they ain't around for long neither.

Josey Wales: Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy.

Yep …

THE GREATEST SEX SCENES IN MOVIE HISTORY

PART 2

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I reviewed their list. 50 movies, 50 incredible sex scenes. Uhhh ... I hadn't seen most of the films listed. They were mainstream films by the way. Several I had seen but didn't recall them being especially memorable. On their list I only noted six (yeah, a measly half dozen) that I thought were unique and involving. Here's the six:

35. Network

Faye Dunaway and William Holden are doing the deed (as they used to say) and Dunaway talks about her job in TV programming the entire time.

24. The Cooler

When sad-guy loser William Macy makes love to Maria Bello its erotic and touching.

17. Body Heat

William Hurt throws the chair through the window and the passion explodes between him and Kathleen Turner. Oh, yeah.

10. Young Frankenstein

Never considered this movie erotic before. It's definitely one of the funniest films ever made. But, I guess, when Madeline Kahn submits to the lust of Peter Boyle's monster and goes from fear to orgasmic singing is erotic. Nah, it's just funny.

8. Secretary

The only movie I figured would be on the list and was. I'm not talking about this one.

2. A History of Violence

The IFC writers thought the angry sex on the stairs was the pivotal sex scene. I prefered the earlier one when Viggo Mortsensen and Maria Bello made "love" to each other after Maria seduced him by wearing her old cheerleader outfit. Sidebar: this was the only movie in my six where the lovers were also husband and wife.

THE GREATEST SEX SCENES IN MOVIE HISTORY

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Okay, now that I have your attention. IFC has listed what their writers feel are the "50" greatest sex scenes in cinema history at http://www.ifc.com/news/article?aId=20710. I haven't read the list yet but I will. Off the top of my head, I would include the "Wall of Jericho" scene in It Happened One Night, the "take it slow" scene from The American President, and (don't tell anyone) a couple of scenes from Secretary. My full report will come later when I can give my undivided attention to this IFC article that it deserves.

FUN VISIT

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My friend, Melanie, passed through town the other day. I had dinner with her, her brother, step-daughter, and two nephews. It was fun. But the visit wasn't long enough.

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She'll be back through town in two weeks and I'm hoping we will be able to work out a longer visit. We'll see.

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Mel told me that she reads this blog and asked me if she was ever going to see her name on it sometime. So here it is:

MELANIE

DEADWOOD’S REAL CHARCTERS
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I was completely hooked on HBO’s Deadwood series. (Listen up, HBO, you’d better finish up the series with the movies you promised or, better yet, bring the show back. I'm thinking about cancelling my subscription to your service. Geez, no Deadwood, no Sopranos, no Rome...)
Anyway, I knew the Black Hills Gold Rush had really happened and Deadwood was the main town in the area. I knew that Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, George Hearst, Wyatt and Morgan Earp, Charlie Utter and Jack McCall were real people. I wondered about some of the other characters. Which characters were based on real people and which ones were fictional? So I “googled” Deadwood and below are a list of the series characters who were based on real folks. Oh, yeah, I’m sure liberties were taken in their portrayals.

Seth Bullock
Al Swearengen
Sol Star
Dan Dority (spelled Doherty in real life)
E.B. Farnum
Albert Merrick
Johnny Burns
Martha Bullock
Tom Nuttall
Reverend Henry Weston Smith
Aunt Lou Marchbanks
Jack Langrishe
“Nigger General” Samuel Fields
Con Stapleton

Trixie is "trickier". There were several prositutes in Deadwood that used that name. One even shot a man through the head who lived ... for a short while. (remember the opening show of the series -- that shooting was how Trixie was introduced.)

I miss this show. But I have all three seasons on DVD. {big grin}

CLOVERFIELD ... Huh?
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Only this artwork has been released by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Mission Impossible III, and the new Star Trek movie) about his newest film. Not even the name has been released. It's being called "Cloverfield" which is the street where Abrams's office is located. Basic premise: A group of people who witness a monster attack on New York City. More soon. Or maybe not.

Cultural Moment

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Every once in a while I get the overwhelming urge to quote Shakespeare. So here goes, from Macbeth:

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Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more:

it is a tale

Told by an idiot,

full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

HISTORICAL TIDBITS

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Teddy Roosevelt has always been a fascinating historical person to me. Learned a couple of new tidbits the other day. Teddy was on the Harvard boxing team, a brown belt in Judo, and one of his lifelong friends, who he met during his western sojourns, was Seth Bullock (yep, the character from the Deadwood series was based on a real person). Bullock was a member of Teddy's Rough Riders. He was a captain but his unit never left the states.

(That's Bullock with Teddy above.)

WEIRD CAT TALE

(okay, are there any other kind of cat stories?)

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Oscar (pictured above) is a two-year-old cat who lives at a convalescent hospital in Rhode Island. It seems, according to the news, that Oscar can predict who is going to die at the hospital. He roams the hospital corridors at night as if on rounds. And sometimes he enters a room and curls next to a patient. Approximately 4 hours after he leaves the patient passes away. The staff claims he has predicted 25 deaths and that they now call the family of patients that he lays down next to. This has been reported on MSNBC and other news outlets. Hmmm... I wonder what happens when he curls up next to a staff member?

Me and my Muse

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We're working hard on the details for a new story.

(Photo by Annie)

79 Best Pictures

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This is a fun blog worth checking out: http://79bestpictures.blogspot.com/. Two writers (Shira and Eitan) have decided to watch and review every Best Picture Oscar winner since the beginning in chronological order starting with 1928's Wings, to 2006's The Departed.

It's interesting to get their critiques to these films ranging from classic to the-years-haven't-been-kind to what-was-the-Academy-thinking.

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(Photo: bridge in Minnesota taken by Annie)

CHARLES BRONSON (1921-2003)

Bronson has always been one of my favorite action stars. He did a lot of guest spots on TV series and some really crappy (and I mean crappy) movies but there was something about him that I always liked. Listed below (by date) are my ten favorite Bronson movies. Not all are great movies but a few are. In fact, The Magnificent Seven is one of my all-time favorite films.

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1. Death Hunt (1981)
2. Hard Times (1975)
3. Death Wish (1974)
4. The Mechanic (1972)
5. Red Sun (1971)
6. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
7. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
8. The Great Escape (1963)
9. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
10. House of Wax (1953)

I'VE BEEN TAGGED

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I was checking out HvD's site (http://vondarkmoor.blogspot.com/) and I got tagged. Listed below are the last six books I've purchased. I have no idea what it says about me. They are listed in alphabetical order by author:

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Metered Space by M.D. Benoit (scifi)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (fantasy)

Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die by Michael Largo (nonfiction)

Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt (nonfiction -- crime)

The Ruins by Scott Smith (thriller)

Death Game by Cheryl Swanson (thriller)

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Okay, now you're tagged.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

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"The bottom is loaded with nice people, Albert. Only cream and bastards rise."

from Harper, screenplay by William Goldman

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(Another view from the house. Taken by Annie.)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

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Who was the first person to see an egg drop out of a chicken’s butt and think it would be good to eat?

(View from outside my house. Taken by Annie.)

THE WILHELM SCREAM

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It is probably the most famous scream in film. In countless movies since the early 1950s (mostly in westerns but not exclusively), many dying characters cried out the same scream before they perished. The first film to use the "Wilhelm Scream" was Warner Brothers' Distant Drums (1951) starring Gary Cooper. A soldier cries out the WS when an alligator grabs him.

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It was used again in the 1953 western The Charge at Feather River. Private Wilhelm (pictured) cries out the WS when shot with an arrow. The WS went on to be used in other Warner Brothers movies and television shows. Then it slowly faded from use.

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Then, in 1977, Ben Burtt was hired to create sound effects for Star Wars. While researching sound elements to use in the space adventure, he found the original Distant Drums scream - which he called "Wilhelm" after the character in Charge at Feather River. (The Distant Drums character had no name.) Burtt included the WS in all the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. And the WS began its second life. It has been used in countless other movies including Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kill Bill, Toy Story and Beauty and the Beast. Last count, according to the Hollywood Lost & Found site (http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/), said that the WS had been used in 138 movies.

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A Wilhelm Scream highlight short is now on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbYsoEasio). Check it out.

WORST MOVIE REMAKES

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Over on the Reel Fanatic website (http://reelfanatic.blogspot.com/), Keith Demko has listed his choices for the worst movie remakes. I don't disagree with any of his choices so I thought I just add six more to the list:

The Bad News Bears -- while I haven't seen the Walter Matthau/Jodie Foster version in quite a long time, I know it was much, much better than this Billy Bob Thornton crap

The Longest Yard -- the Burt Reynolds original was fun and Reynolds used to play football, Adam Sandler is miscast and not a bit funny (okay, he never has been funny is anything)

Never Say Never Again -- Thunderball isn't one of my favorite Bond films but this remake (even with Connery as Bond) is lame

King Kong -- does anyone remember the 1976 remake of Kong with Jessica Lange? Didn't think so. It's really bad.

Payback -- Mel Gibson's loosy remake of a totally cool Lee Marvin film.

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Check out Keith's list for what are probably the worst remakes ever.

SHOOTER

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Just finished watching Shooter with Mark Wahlberg and Danny Glover. There was a decent little movie in there trying to get out. I've read some of Stephen Hunter's novels (not bad) but I haven't read Point of Impact on which this was based so I don't know if they messed up the book or not. I know that some things that work in novels won't work on film and vice versa. I liked the Wahlberg character (despite having the name Swagger) and the FBI rookie was done well. But just about everybody else was a cliche or underwritten. I love a good shoot 'em-up but I have a problem when the hero dashes several hundred yards across open ground and 24 soldiers can't hit him. Also it's time to stop forever using the scene when the hero is walking toward the camera and a fireball the size of Texas erupts behind them. There was one really cool scene -- Wahlberg is getting some information about weapons and assassinations from an old-time gunsmith. It was intriguing and a bit unique. If only the movie had been more like that one sequence then the movie would have been unique and different. Oh, well. All I can hope for is that the new Die Hard is cool (The first is one of my favorite action films). And that it's still in the theatre when I get a chance to go.

WRITING NEWS

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Some news on the writing front. My latest review column is up at Dred (http://www.dredtales.com/). Check it out. The films this time are 1408, The Breed, and Creep.

My nonfiction articles "The Top Ten Movies in Outer Space" and "A Short History of Firsts in Television" will soon be appearing at Bewildering Stories (http://www.bewilderingstories.com/)

and

my science fiction tale, "Jimmy Wingo," has just been accepted by MagusZine (http://www.maguspress.com/)

(Annie took the picture above in Minnesota -- farmers were burning dry bush)

OH, JEEZ

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The other day, as I finished running several errands, I decided to pick up some lunch. There was a Taco Bell on the corner up ahead and, suddenly a burrito sounded good. I went in and placed my order with the sixteen-year-old counter girl. I was given my receipt and I stepped back to wait for my burritos. As I'm waiting, I glance at the receipt and...

the counter girl had given me the Senior Citizen discount!

Don't know what to say except "when I wasn't paying attention I turned old." Oh, jeez.

WHAT'S YOUR BLUES NAME?
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Stumbled across this the other day. Thought it was kinda fun. I'm Peg-Leg Harp Davis. Hmmm... liked it a little better when I reversed my initials and became Sticky Foot Davis. That sounds like a blues man.

MOVIES FOR THE 4th OF JULY

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Looking for a movie to watch on the 4th? Here are some suggestions:

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1776 (yeah, it's a musical)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (one of my all-time favorites)

Apollo 13 (true story -- solid filmmaking)

The Patroit (a rip-roaring let's-take-on-the-British-for-freedom movie)

Independence Day (a no-brainer scifi popcorn flick that's fun)

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(I'm still trying to get back into my old writing routine)

OKAY...(said real slow)

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I'm at work yesterday. One of our shift supervisors is clocking out. She tells me that she is headed for her college "Statistics" class and that she's having a tough time with it. I smile and reply, "Remember what Mark Twain said: 'There are lies, damn lies, and statistics." She gives me a blank look and says, "Who is Mark Twain?" I pause for a moment. "He wrote Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn." The blank look remains. She has no idea who I am talking about. Some days I feel really old, some days I feel like I am totally out of touch with "younger" people. {I'm also trying to figure out when I started calling them "younger people."} Anyway, some days I feel both. Yesterday was one of them.

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I know that most would have no idea who J.D. Salinger or Harper Lee or Edgar Allan Poe are. I do hope that they still know who Dr. Seuss, S.E. Hinton, and Stephen King are but I'm afraid to ask. I feel like a dinosaur.

NICE LETTER

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Okay, it was actually an email not a "letter." Still it was nice. Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine is putting together their first "Best of" anthology and want to include my short story, "Death And...", which appeared in the magazine in Autumn 2003. Very cool.

A GOOD DAY

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It was a good day today. I helped my nephew move the last of his stuff into his new home. (I missed helping move the really heavy stuff. That happened on Saturday.) He is a first-time home buyer and it's all very cool.

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When I got home, there were three messages on my answering machine. The first was from an old friend who had gotten word that I'd been trying to contact her. I called back and we got the chance to talk for a little while. It was really cool. I hope we get the chance to catch up more later in the week.

Mel, in case you're reading this blog -- this pix is a few years old. It's the only one I have on the computer. I had it taken for my first book. The hair's a little grayer and shorter. I currently have a goatee to go with the mustache. And, as I said on the phone, I have about twenty extra pounds that I don't need. If you go to the Amazon.com website and punch in my name, you'll find my novels listed. Rebel Nation has some really nice reviews.

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Sometimes friends slip away over the course of time. There are many reasons this happens. But the separation does not mean they are forgotten. And, sometimes if the stars are in alignment, the friends reconnect and the friendship begins again.

NEW WORD FOR THE DAY

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muffin-top: the roll of flesh that pokes out over the top of your pants

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NEW MOVIE COMING THIS SUMMER

(looks cool and it's not a sequel)

Stardust

http://www.stardustmovie.com/site.htm

BEST MOVIE VILLAINS FROM THE 1980’s
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There’s an article from the L.A. Times where actor Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luther on Smallville) picked his favorite villains from the 1980’s (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-spinoffs-sevens-80svillains26apr26,1,2696273.htmlstory?ctrack=2&cset=true). A great bad guy/gal makes a better movie so here’s my list of favorite villains from the 1980’s. {I decided that the villains had to be human or, at least, partially human so the Queen from Aliens, the creature from The Thing, and the ghosts from Poltergeist are not included.}

10) Ace Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland – 1986 – Stand By Me)
9) Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver – 1988 – Working Girl)
8) Al Capone (Robert De Niro – 1987 – The Untouchables)
7) Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper – 1986 – Blue Velvet)
6) The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger – 1984 – The Terminator)
5) Alex Forrest (Glenn Close – 1987 – Fatal Attraction)
4) Khan (Ricardo Montalban – 1982 – Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan)
3) Belloq (Paul Freeman – 1981 – Raiders of the Lost Ark)
2) Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones -- 1980 – The Empire Strikes Back)
1) Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman – 1988 – Die Hard)

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I know I’ve forgotten some good ones.

THAT'S ME...

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Yep, there I am be-bopping-along as I take a week off from work. My plan is to go through my mother's belongings and household furnishings. I will save some, sell some, donate some, and trash the rest. Then I'll paint and clean. Piece of cake.

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*

I didn't see the sign. I didn't know what I was getting into. The house is a disaster and I've only cleaned out half of the master bedroom. Two dressers with every drawer jammed full. A full closet. Boxes packed under the bed. I have found items that belonged to every member of the family -- my mother, my father, Gary (mom's second husband, both sets of grandparents, all my aunts and uncles and a few cousins. There are old bank statements, Christmas cards, birthday cards, old speeding tickets. My mother "saved" everything. Why? Why, mom? Old plastic keychains from the Goldstrike Casino aren't worth anything. Old batteries. Flashlights (over a dozen and none with batteries.) Old, beat-up Thomas Guide roadmaps.

MOVIE STARS IN HORROR FILMS
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Once upon a midnight, horror films were movies for actors to either begin their careers in or finish their careers. A few actors such as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Bruce Campbell, and Lance Henriksen have created followings in their horror ventures. Now it appears that horror movies have become mainstream for successful actors. The Reaping starring Hillary Swank, The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson, Dark Water with Jennifer Connelly and The Others with Nicole Kidman are a few examples.

Below are horror titles with major stars (although some weren’t when they played their role):

Kevin Bacon – Friday the 13th, Tremors, Stir of Echoes
Jennifer Connelly – Phenomena
Johnny Depp – Nightmare on Elm Street
Tom Hanks – He Knows You’re Alone
Samuel L. Jackson – Deep Blue Sea
Clint Eastwood – Revenge of the Creature, Tarantula (both roles uncredited)
Demi Moore – Parasite
Jack Nicholson – The Shining, The Terror, The Raven, Little Shop of Horrors
Kurt Russell – John Carpenter’s The Thing
Meg Ryan – Amityville 3-D
Kiefer Sutherland – The Lost Boys
Hillary Swank – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Renee Zellweger – Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre

CHILDREN OF MEN
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One of the movies that opened last holiday season that I really wanted to see and didn’t get a chance to was Children of Men.

It is a science-fiction tale set on Earth and not in space. The storyline is that no human births have occurred for 18 years. Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine are the stars. Alfonso Cuaron who directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabon is the director and one of the screenwriters. The story was based on a novel by mystery writer P.D. James. The film received solid reviews. On the mega-critic site it averaged an 84. It was compared to the classic Blade Runner. My kind of movie.

The week it was released on DVD I picked up a copy at Blockbuster.

Now I’ve seen it. This movie sucked with the force of a hurricane. I have to wonder if the people who are raving about it saw the same film I did. I should have had a clue when there were five screenwriters listed. That is usually a bad sign. It was again. Maybe the fact that the movie has a “message” means the critics have to like it or they are unworthy. The world setting makes no sense. Info is tossed out with no explanations. The symbolism is so heavy-handed that it is laughable. Let’s see (a few examples): Owen’s character is named Theo which means, “divine gift” and the pregnant woman is named Kee which needs no explanation. Theo is wounded in the hand, foot and side. Wonder what symbolism that represents? And the final scene is so lame that it could have only been saved by having the song “Tomorrow” from Annie being sung. The imprisonment of illegal aliens is an intriguing idea but not as presented here. I could go on but there’s no point. Very few science-fiction films (not sci-fi and there is a difference) are made and this movie is one of the reasons why.

In the style of Children of Men, my review of this film would be summed up by the picture of a bull in a field and the animal is taking a dump.

REST IN PEACE

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Bob Clark, writer-director of A Christmas Story and Porky's, was killed along with his son early Wednesday morning on Pacific Coast Highway when a drunk driver verved into his lane and hit Mr. Clark's car head-on.

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Donald Hamilton, author of the hardboiled Matt Helm novels which several were made into very lame Dean Martin movies, passed away in Sweden. He was 90. Mr. Hamilton also wrote the novel, The Big Country, which became a William Wyler film starring Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston.

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Rest in peace, gentlemen.