"GROOVY"

I haven't said that since I was in junior high wearing turtleneck shirts, bellbottom pants, and wing-tip shoes. Been listening to some old Sixties tunes lately. Beatles, Beach Boys, CCR, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Grass Roots, Three Dog Night, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and others. Had a flashback.

Now, it's out of my system. Maybe.

DAY OFF (at last)

Finally, after what seemed like forever, I had a day off and I feel great. I was able to get a full night's sleep. No phone calls from work. No pending household chores (okay, there were 101 things on that list but I took the day off from them, too). I called some friends and caught up on things. I kicked it for a little while and laid out in the sun (I have netting over the patio so the rays weren't too harmful). Just that alone felt good. Being naked in the warm sunlight does help melt the tensions away. I even started reading a book -- Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers. I talked to my screenwriting partner and found a plot that sounds good. Yeah. I need to write, I have to write. Had a good dinner. Watched a couple episodes of Deadwood Season 2 that I got on DVD. Nothing special. But I feel rested and relaxed.

Now back to work.

MEMORIAL DAY MOVIE SUGGESTIONS

Casablanca (1943 – pre-World War Two)
Sahara (1943 – World War Two)
Friendly Persuasion (1956 – Civil War)
The Great Escape (1963 – World War Two)
Shenandoah (1965 – Civil War)
Platoon (1986 – Vietnam)
Glory (1989 – Civil War)
The Last of the Mohicans (1993 – French-Indian Wars)
Saving Private Ryan (1998 – World War Two)
The Patriot (2000 – Revolutionary War)

HORROR MOVIE TRIVIA

ALIEN: H.R. Giger's designs for the alien face-hugger were held by US Customs at LAX who were alarmed at what they saw. Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon had to go to the airport and explain that they were creature designs for a horror movie.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: The only times the words "Elm Street" are seen are during the opening and closing credits. Elm Street is not mentioned during the movie.

PSYCHO: Alfred Hitchcock received a letter from an angry father whose daughter refused to take a bath after seeing the French thriller Les Diaboliques and now refused to shower after seeing this film. Hitchcock reputedly sent a note back saying, "Send her to the dry cleaners".

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: The film was banned by the British film censors in 1975. It was banned again in 1977 after attempts to cut it were unsuccessful. It was banned once more in 1984, due to a growing controversy involving 'video nasties'. In 1999, after the censors changed their policy, the movie was released uncut after 25 years.

THE THING: The video the American team watches of the Norwegians finding the spacecraft frozen beneath the ice is footage from 1951's The Thing from Another World of which this movie is a remake.

Favorite Tunes

I gave myself a monumental task. If I made a personal CD with my favorite songs on it, what would be on it? I could probably make a CD with just Beatles, Beach Boys, and Eagles tunes. So I decided that I would limit it to only song per artist. Also, there has to be words in the song. So, no Miles Davis or movie themes. Okay, I quickly cheated and decided I could pick one Beatles song and one from Lennon’s solo career. Anyway, in alphabetical order by title, here’s my personal CD list of 15 songs I could listen to over and over:

American Pie by Don McLean
Black Velvet by Alannah Myles
Forever and For Always by Shania Twain
Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys
Hotel California by the Eagles
Imagine by John Lennon
Midnight Confessions by the Grass Roots
My Next Thirty Years by Tim McGraw
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) by Scott McKenzie
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) by Rod Stewart
Unforgettable by Natalie and Nat King Cole
We’ve Got Tonight by Bob Seger
We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions by Queen
Yesterday by the Beatles

Oh, boy, shouldn’t have done this. Who have I forgotten?

WANTED DEAD OR ... UH... NEVERMIND

Reported on IMDb :

In Mumbai (Bombay), India, a man has put up a cash reward for the murder of Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code.

Question -- how come this guy didn't offer the bounty while the novel was on the best-seller lists for a year (or was it for two years)?

Answer -- he would've had to have read the book.

Side note: Brown should call Salman Rushdie for pointers on how this type of situation. Geez, every religious group seems to have its share of fanatics and idiots.

DEADWOOD

I wrote the following email to HBO:

Hello:

HBO has created some terrific series (i.e., The Sopranos, Sex + theCity, Six Feet Under) but, without a doubt, Deadwood is the best. I am looking forward to the new season beginning in June.

Someone over there responded:

Thank you for writing HBO. Despite recent articles on the future of our HBO Original series"DEADWOOD", there has been no decision for the future of the series, andconversations regarding a fourth season are ongoing. Since "DEADWOOD"creator David Milch is working on another HBO Original series, we'vegranted our beloved Deadwood cast the latitude to pursue other projects,for the time being. We appreciate your interest and hope that you will continue to find HBOto be a source of quality entertainment.

~ Sincerely, HBO Consumer Affairs

Just thought I share the info.

IN MY DVD COLLECTION

The other day I wondered which female actor had starred in the most movies in my little DVD collection. Was it Julia Roberts or Kim Basinger or Maureen O'Hara or Grace Kelly? Maybe it was Rene Russo or Katherine Ross or Reese Witherspoon. I knew I only had one with Marilyn (Some Like It Hot) and none with Bette Davis or Joan Crawford or Meryl Streep.

I decided to take a look.

Two tied for second place.

SIGOURNEY WEAVER: Alien, Aliens, Working Girl, Dave, Galaxy Quest

FAMKE JANSSEN: Goldeneye, Deep Rising, The House on Hanuted Hill, X-Men, X-Men 2

Number one turned out to be:

FAYE DUNAWAY: Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, The Three Musketeers, The Towering Inferno, The Four Musketeers, Three Days of the Condor, The Thomas Crown Affair (the remake)

Don't know what this says about my taste in movies but I had fun collecting the info.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS

My first movie reviews (the new Hills Have Eyes, A History of Violence, and Red Eye) are up at Dred: http://www.dredtales.com/Movies%20in%20the%20Dark.htm

I'm reviewing Hostel for the summer issue but haven't selected a second or third movie yet. Any suggestions or comments in general would be appreciated. The films need to be horror, sci-fi horror, or thrillers.

Thanks in advance.

"Is it safe?"

Marathon Man by William Goldman is one of the favorite novels. Well-done solid characters, good suspense and surprising twists. Plus I truly love the way Goldman writes.

Tonight I watched the movie with Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, and Roy Scheider. Good thriller with more than one memorable moment. All of which were in the book. It's not as captivating as the novel and Hoffman's too old for his part despite his youthful appearance. Still, despite his illness during the shooting of the movie, Olivier is terrific as the villain and Scheider is totally believable as a government agent. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Or, better yet, read the novel.

Oh, yeah.

"Is it safe?"

GAS

I filled up today. $3.40 per gallon for regular. It's cheaper to stay home than to go work. I say that and I'm the GM at my location. Who knew that the good ol' days would be when gas was two-something a gallon? I wonder how long it would take to ride a bike, or even a horse, the twenty miles to work.