SNMR 2.4: "Lifeforce"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Lifeforce" (1985, R, 116 minutes), starring Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Patrick Stewart, Nicholas Ball and Mathilda May. The film was directed by Tobe Hooper.

This was one of those movies that I rented as a kid, probably when there was nothing else in the video store that I wanted to see. As a teenager what attracted me to the movie was the beautiful female star (sexy 20 year old Mathilda May) walking around nude, and that she was some kind of vampire. That was the image that I carried around with me for many years while the rest of the details of this film escaped me. When I finally remembered the title, I had to watch it again and ended up having to buy it on ebay.

From the DVD's dust case:

From the director of Poltergeist and co-writer of Alien comes a thrilling sci-fi adventure of explosive action and pulse-pounding suspense. With mind-blowing special effects by Oscar winner John Dykstra (1977 Best Visual Effects, Star Wars), Lifeforce is a sci-fi extravaganza that delivers out-of-this-world excitement. A mission to investigate Halley's Comet discovers an even more fascinating phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! After a deadly confrontation, the aliens travel to Earth where their seductive leader (Mathilda May) begins a terrifying campaign to drain the lifeforce of everyone she encounters. Her victims, in turn, continue the cycle and soon the entire planet is in mortal danger. And when the mission's sole survivor (Steve Railsback) sets out to destroy her, he comes face to face with the most charming - and horrifying - being he's ever known. Will he be able to destroy the lovely vampiress... or will he become yet another victim of her fatal charm?

From Martin & Porter's DVD and Video Guide 2006, p.658:

In this disappointing and disjointed science-fiction-horror film by director Tobe Hooper(Poltergeist), ancient vampires from outer space return to Earth via Halley's Comet to feed on human souls.

I like this film, even though I'm generally not a vampire or horror film fan. I thought that the premise of this film was interesting and had much promise. The return of Halley's Comet was heavily anticipated by astronomers and in the public eye when this film was being made and came out, since the comet was due to be visible from Earth in 1986. The acting is definitely not top notch. The script is decent but could have been better. It's not really a horror film because it isn't scary and it isn't truly a science fiction film, either. This is not the best film ever made, but certainly not the worst, either. If you can find it, it's worth renting- a good waste of two hours. I'll give this film three out of five stars.

It's going to be interesting

Tonight was the first meeting of the Wednesday night men's Bible study group that I attend at a church nearby.

The format for the new session is a bit different than what we normally have done in the past.

While I was a bit skeptical at first, tonight's session changed my opinion.

We've started a thirteen week DVD based program called The Truth Project.

It's going to be a very interesting and very intense program and I'm looking forward to getting into it in the weeks ahead and sharing some of it with you.

No kids tonight

About a month ago, well a few weeks ago anyway, X informed me that she needed to pick up an extra shift at the hospital. She told me that the date would be tonight. She asked me if V and M could spend the night with me at the apartment so she'd be able to pick them up for school tomorrow morning.

How could I have said no to that? Obviously I couldn't have and told her, as I always do, that the kids are always welcome here.

So tonight was the night. She was going to drop them off around 18:30 in order to get to work on time for the start of her 19:00-07:00 shift.

EXCEPT...

as I was getting dressed after work (I work in a clean room, silly, and have to wear scrubs) I noticed a new voicemail message on my cell phone. Sure enough it was X informing me that the kids would not be coming over this evening, since she was not going in to work tonight after all. She advised me that she was sick with a fever.

Both of the kids and I were disappointed at this turn of events, but hey what can you do?

I got an opportunity to talk briefly to M first, to say hi and the like. V was in the middle of doing some of her homework and wanted to finish the part she was working on. X asked me to call back five minutes later.

When I did talk to V she told me that part of her homework every night is to read something for fifteen minutes. When I was on the line the first time, she had four minutes to go. V was also excited because she is learning how to write in cursive and has learned something like five lower case letters, so far.

I asked her to demonstrate for me when I see her on Friday, so I can see for myself how she does. I love it when my kids show enthusiasm about their schoolwork and hope it continues throughout their school years.

But we shall see how that goes....

So I got an unexpected night to myself. No surprise there, really.

----

I went to the evil empire tonight to get my hair cut. While I was there I needed to pick up a combination lock for the gym locker room but of course forgot all about it while I was there. I did see some neat things that I might choose for M's birthday in less than a month, so it was not entirely a wasted trip.

----

Now pretty much everyone at work knows that I am leaving in a few weeks for another job. I like to think that I get along with everyone and that they'll be sad to see me go. But who knows? This company survived before I got there and probably will long after I'm gone. Or maybe not...

The new job

Some of you have been wondering what it is I'll be doing for work at my new job. And some of you have expressed concern because I've been so cryptic about the whole procedure. Now that I've told my family about my job change, I can let you all know about it too.

I'm going to be working for an insurance company that offers health insurance to small businesses, self-employed people and in NH, individuals. During the four days of training, I'll be learning about the products that are available, how to sell them, and everything in between. I'll also be learning about the differences in the regulations between NH and MA because some of the laws are different. And that affects some of the products I'll be selling.

Of course, not just anyone can go out and sell insurance. You have to have a license to do that. In order to get a license, I need to take a test, given by a company that provides such tests for the state of New Hampshire.

So today I purchased the necessary text that I need in order to study for the licensing exam. The test, I'm told, consists of 150 multiple choice questions and takes two and a half hours to complete. The test is given on a computer which will give me my results once I've finished. With results in hand (I need a 70 to pass), I then can obtain my license. Convenient for me that I'll arrange to take the test right there in Concord (the capital of NH for the state capital and geographically challenged readers.)

At some point after, depending on how that goes, I can then go and apply for a license for MA, so I can do business there as well. This is practical for me, since my town is on the border of the two states.

It's a job that is commission based, which is a daunting proposition. But I will know that if I cannot make this work, I'll have no one but myself to blame. People say that I'll have to work hard in order to get paid. To them I say: "What, you don't think I work hard at my present job?" Of course I do. This job is no different.

This job just has a higher earning potential than at the company I work for now. I'll be working for myself, being able to set my own schedule and being accountable to myself. And if I need to take time off for a doctors appointment or to see my kids in a play at school or whatever the case may be, I don't need to clear it with anyone. I can work around whatever I need to. At this stage of my professional life, this is very appealing to me.

As a bonus, I'll be able to write off on my taxes all of my business expenses, gas, tolls, etc.

And hopefully I will also be able to schedule some time and effort into that writing career (other than keeping this here ol' blog) I've been telling myself I want to pursue.

But don't worry, the blog isn't going anywhere, and neither am I.

SNMR 2.3: "The Fifth Element"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "The Fifth Element" (1997, PG-13, 127 minutes), starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker, Milla Jovovich, Luke Perry and Brion James. The film was directed by Luc Besson.

This is one of those films that I've always told myself I wanted to see when it came out in the theater and told myself the same thing time and again seeing it at the store. So I'm watching this movie for the first time tonight.

From the DVD's dust case:

New York cab driver Korben Dallas didn't mean to be a hero, but he just picked up the kind of fare that only comes along every five thousand years: a perfect beauty, a perfect being, a perfect weapon. Now together, they must save the world. Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich star in director Luc Besson's outrageous sci-fi adventure, an extravagantly styled tale of good against evil set in an unbelievable twenty-third century world.

From Martin & Porter's DVD and Video Guide 2006, p. 382:

This hyperkinetic sci-fi thriller doesn't score for logic or coherence, but it sure knows how to dazzle and delight. Twenty-third century cabbie Bruce Willis gets involved with a gorgeous extraterrestrial who holds the key to saving the universe. The two dodge nasty aliens, befriend a befuddled priest and a manic media talk show host, all while staying one step ahead of the dangerously insane villain. You may hate yourself in the morning, but you'll have to admit this is a lot of fun.

Action? Definitely. Weirdness? Absolutely. Did the film make sense? Sort of. Two hours should have been enough time to sort everything out but the story took too long to get up to speed. The script I thought was weaker than it should have been because there is simply too much going on all at once. The premise of the story was good but could have been executed much more efficiently. The characters were raw and could have been developed more, especially Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich, who is supposed to be the perfect being and savior of the universe. The special effects were decent but not great. I'll give this film two and a half out of five stars.

Most depressing o' autumnal equinox

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac

FALL begins ... NOW! September 23, 12:03 A.M. EDT.

Yes, that's right boys and girls, another summer has officially come to an end. For today anyway, there is equal amounts of day and night, hence the autumnal equinox. There will now gradually be more dark hours than light hours. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy nighttime as much as anyone but I also like lots of sun and warm summer days.

But to our friends in the southern hemisphere, today is a day of happiness, as spring has finally arrived for you.

I'm jealous. I want my summer back.

Open houses and paperwork

Last night I had an opportunity to attend the open house at V and M's school. I met them at the school just before 18:00.

We went to M's classroom first and were one of the first people in the room. After M showed us his desk and introduced us to his teacher he and some of the other kids brought out some puzzles and were playing on the floor at one end of the room. Once more parents arrived, the teacher gave a little talk, telling us about herself and what the students will be doing this year. There are only 16 students in his class, which teacher said is a wonderful ratio for the children to get more personal attention. She seems to be a really good teacher and says all of the kids are extremely polite and doing well for the first two and a half weeks of school. She expects them to have a really good year and predicts a noticeable difference will occur in each between now and the end of June. Half the battle for first graders in the early going is getting used to the routine of being in school for a full day. I have no fear about M being able to handle it as he went both to kindergarten and part time day care last year, because he was bored at home without big sister there to play with/annoy.

Then we went downstairs to V's classroom. Her teacher didn't give any presentation, just talked to parents one on one as they approached her. V introduced us to the teacher as part of an open house scavenger hunt that she had the kids in her class do. So V whisked us about her classroom, showing off all of the items on the checklist and checking them off with her pencil as we did them.

All in all it was a good evening.

---

Today I went down to the new employer and turned in some paperwork and was given the training schedule for October. The first day of training is October 17th and lasts for four days. Between now and then I need to buy the book of regulations and schedule the state exam so I can get my license for NH, which I must pass before I can officially start working. Eventually I will also get a similar license for MA so I can work in both states. More details to follow later.

Afraid to look

I always get nervous every time I lookup my checking account balance on-line, dreading what I might find or not find as the case may be. How I'm going to make ends meet every month is a worry I've grown weary of.

Hopefully this fear will cease once I get into my new job!! It begins on October 17th, with four days of training, then lots of hard work after that. More details to follow another time.

So my tentative last day at the current employer will be Friday, October 13, 2006. So far only three people at work know that I'm leaving. I plan to tell everyone else at the beginning of October. I'm not giving two weeks notice because I am required to, it just works out that way. I'm an "at will" employee, meaning neither party is obligated to give notice of termination of employment. Maybe I won't actually give notice at all... hmmm, we'll see about that.

Who ever made up the rule about giving two weeks notice before you leave an employer anyway? Ostensibly you are asked to give notice so that the employer has an opportunity to fill your vacancy before you leave and won't be left shorthanded or inconvenienced by your absence.

I really try hard never to leave notice because it really isn't a fair deal for the employee. I mean if an employer was going to fire you from your job, do you really think they'd come up to you beforehand and say, "Hey, we're going to fire you in two weeks, so you better start looking for another job." Oh no, if a company you work for is going to fire you, in most cases they'll watch you gather your personal items and escort you to the door right then and there.

Doesn't seem fair, now does it?

SNMR 2.2: "A Few Good Men"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "A Few Good Men" (1992, R, 138 minutes), starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollack, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland and J.T. Walsh. The film was directed by Rob Reiner.

This is one of my all time favorite movies. I've watched it more times than I can possibly remember. I know that the first time I saw it was long after it came out in the video store.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore star in Rob Reiner's unanimously acclaimed drama about the dangerous difference between following orders and following one's conscience. Cruise stars as a brash Navy lawyer who's teamed with a gung-ho litigator (Moore) in a politically explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier, they are confronted with complex issues of loyalty and honor - including its most sacred code and its most formidable warrior (Nicholson). Superbly directed with a trio of powerhouse performances and an outstanding supporting cast including Kevin Pollack, Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon, A FEW GOOD MEN is "entertainment to be seen and appreciated... consistently gripping" (Desson Howe, Washington Post).

From Martin & Porter's "DVD & Video Guide 2006", p. 381:

Calling this film the best Perry Mason movie ever made may sound like a put-down, but it isn't. Director Rob Reiner keeps the viewer guessing throughout this courtroom based drama, which features Tom Cruise as a wisecracking Navy defense lawyer whose clients have been accused of murder. The acting is first rate.

Why do I love this film so much? Two words: Jack Nicholson. I can think of only two other actors who would have done justice to the role of Col. Jessup, other than Jack. Those actors are Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. The writing throughout is superb and powerful. The casting is brilliant, from the leads down to the supporting cast, highlighted by then up and coming actors Noah Wylie and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Rob Reiner does a masterful directing job with such a studly cast. Rarely will you find a courtroom exchange in a movie like the battle between Cruise and Nicholson towards the end of this film. The drama is taut and emotional. I love the opening sequence under the credits with the marine corps rifle company. The soundtrack for the opening and closing credits is wonderful.

From start to finish this is a great movie. If you don't already own it, I suggest that you go out and buy it for under $10. I'll give this movie five out of five stars.

Bitten

It's true that sometimes, trying to do a good deed will come back and bite you.

Well that happened to me this morning. Literally.

V, M and I had just finished our first errand of the day and were heading off to our next stop when I noticed an unusual thing that prompted me to pull over to the side of the road. A very small turtle was beginning to cross the street in front of my car. This road is not the busiest road in the town but it does see heavier traffic on Saturdays due to the recycling center and transfer station nearby from which we had just come. I figured that there was a better than average chance that someone driving by would not see it and inadvertently squash the little sucker flat.

The little turtle must have seen me coming closer. It started to move faster, trying to run away from me, thinking I was a predator instead of trying to save its life. I picked it up to show V and M through the car window. V asked me if we could keep it. As I was telling her no, I took my eyes off of it and the little nipper bit me on my right index finger. So instead of carrying it a few feet into the woods I tossed it in that direction rather hastily, and a little rougher than I had intended, since the bite caught me off guard.

Too bad I didn't snap a picture of the little nipper first.

Salvage Effort...postponed

Last month's disastrous five game series debacle against the Yankees at Fenway Park effectively ended any chance that the Red Sox had at getting into the playoffs this season. The Red Sox get one last crack at the Yankees this weekend, in a four game set at the Stadium.

Tonight's game was postponed because of rain and will be made up on Sunday as part of a day-night double header. This is in addition to the double header already scheduled for Saturday, which was made necessary because of another rainout earlier in the season.

While it's true that the Yankees magic number is six in order to clinch the American League East, this series is important for the Red Sox. It's a matter of pride, and proving to themselves that they still can compete with the Yankees.

Entering play on Saturday, the Red Sox are 11 1/2 games behind New York for the division and 7 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the AL Wild Card.

Update:
Saturday Game 1: Boston 5, @ New York 2
Saturday Game 2: @ New York 7, Boston 5
Sunday Game 1: Boston 6, @ New York 3
Sunday Game 2: Boston 5, @ New York 4

blogthings...enough for now

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Your Band Name is:

The Bionic Eyedrops

Band Name Generator

Your English Skills:

Punctuation: 100% Spelling: 80% Vocabulary: 80% Grammar: 40%

Does Your English Cut the Mustard?

You Are An Apple Tree

You are quiet and shy at times, but you have lots of charm and appeal. You are quite attractive: your pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, and adventurous spirit draw people in. Sensitive and loyal in love, you want to love and be loved. You are a faithful and tender partner - who is generous in sharing your many talents. You love children, and you need an affectionate partner.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

"Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away" You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments. And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.

What's Your Theme Song?

8 things about me that I've probably told you before

Tagged by the one and only dabich - how could I not play along??

1. I was diagnosed several years ago with ADD. That's Attention Deficit Disorder for those of you who are playing along at home.

2. The longest I've been employed by one company is five years. Usually after two years I need something else.

3. I am the father of two wonderful children. A beautiful young nine year old daughter, referred to here as V, and a handsome young, six year old lad referred to here as M.

4. I'll agree with dabich on this one. I love to read. Books are such a source of pleasure. I always tell my kids that you can never have too many books. And they think I'm crazy (which I probably am in certain areas...)

5. I have two cats that I wrote about here sometime last year. They've shredded my couches to bits and apparently have stunk up the whole place because my mom comments on it every time she visits me. I don't notice it becasue I'm used to it. I can't get rid of them until they DIE. Both I've had since they were kittens. One of them just turned 12 and the other one is actually V's cat, as we adopted it on her first birthday.

6. I used to collect Topps baseball cards and autographed baseballs, which I will sell when the economy gets better and people have more cash to spend on luxury items.

7. Besides my own two kids, my immediate family includes two surviving grandparents, both of my parents, two sisters (one older & one younger), one younger brother, four nephews and a niece.

8. I am authorized to write on another blog... God vs. Darwin - but have not left a serious post there since June. Time to get off my butt and write something new, I suppose....

I'm not tagging anyone for this one since I just tagged some folks for something else. Most of those tagged played along. Be a good sport and play along just fo' fun.

Job Interview tomorrow

Hopefully it will turn out well as this is a job I want. Rather, need. Badly. But I won't give any further info until after the interview so

a) I don't jinx myself and
b) I'll need something to write about tomorrow.

Actually this is a second interview, sort of. I went in toward the end of last month and the guy gave a conference room full of people an overview of what the job is all about. They were scheduling second interviews that day for later in the same week as we were leaving. The Neon had just died a few days earlier and I had yet to purchase the Sentra. As I was borrowing my mom's car that day and returning it to her that afternoon, I had no way of making it to any other interview. Obviously, since I've been able to reschedule this interview a couple of times since then, they must still have openings that they are trying to fill.

Good for me, then, hopefully.

Yes, I'm already employed. I like my job but need to get out, since the company is small and struggling to stay in business. Which means there's no budget for raises. Living alone in one of the most expensive areas of the country doesn't help, either.

If there were a second income to help with the basics then that would be another story altogether. I'm tired of not being able to make ends meet and I need to start cleaning up some of the debt on my personal ledger. I've even considered briefly (and will consider it more seriously if I need to) finding a job and moving to another part of the country where rent/real estate is less expensive. Of course, the hard part in all of this would be moving away from V and M. It's something I've considered earlier this year, but for vastly different reasons. If I did have to move, I'd definitely go south, to a warmer climate.

How about those Patriots?? Eeking out a 19-17 win yesterday at home vs. Buffalo.
I'm glad the Deion Branch holdout is over. He was a good player and will be missed. The Patriots traded Branch to the Seattle Seahawks today for a 2007 first round draft pick.
This week's opponent: @ NY Jets.

Yes, I know it's the fifth anniversary of 9/11 today. I wrote about it last year and my feelings and opinion haven't changed since then.

SNMR 2.1: "Cabin in the Sky"

The first film in the second series of SNMR
is "Cabin in the Sky" (1943, B&W, NR, 98 minutes), starring Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram, The Hall Johnson Choir, and Duke Ellington & His Orchestra. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli.

This is a classic film that was introduced to me when I was in a Film Critique class in college. Otherwise, I'd probably have never even heard of it. Be warned, it's a comedy but it's also a musical. Some people could care less about musicals and I used to be one of them. Good thing for me that I've come to my senses.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Hollywood's first all-black film since The Green Pastures tells the vibrant fable of rascally Little Joe, torn between the love of his good wife Petunia and the wiles of good-time bad girl Georgia Brown.... and caught in a tug-of-war between emissaries from the Lord and Satan. How can virtue triumph over evil? Well, as Petunia says, "Sometimes when you fight the devil, you gotta jab him with his own pitchfork."
Debuting movie director Vincente Minnelli (An American in Paris, Gigi) and stars Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are more than a match for the devil in this musical treasure. With a soundtrack of dazzling standards including Taking a Chance on Love and Happiness is a Thing Called Joe, Cabin in the Sky is a joyous classic.

From Martin & Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2006, p. 167:

One of Hollywood's first general release black films and vincente Minnelli's first feature. Eddie Anderson shows acting skill that was sadly and too long diluted by his playing foil for Jack Benny. Ethel Waters, as always, is superb. The film is a shade racist, but bear in mind that it was made in 1943, when Tinsel Town still thought blacks did nothing but sing, dance and love watermelon.

For all it's worth, despite the era in which it was made, this is a great film. Overall the basic story is compelling and well written. The acting is excellent and the cast is talented. The soundtrack is great. I found myself humming along with it without even realizing it. This is a film you should definitely see but not readily available in stores as far as I can tell. I bought my copy on ebay for around $12.00. I'll give this film 4 1/2 out of five stars.

Up up and away...Atlantis

I love reading about the space shuttle and watching it liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, whenever I can. We better treasure these next sixteen flights in the next 3 1/4 years. The space shuttle program is ending in 2010. Photos from abc.com.

Atlantis being moved from the hangar to the launch pad.

All set to go. Liftoff was today.

NFL Predictions 2006

As an avid football fan I think I know as much as the "expert" prognosticators.

What are my credentials? Judge for yourself.

I've been picking straight up and vs. spread winners since 1996. In ten seasons, I have a regular season winning percentage of 63.7% straight up (1583-902-3) and 51.8% vs. spread (1251-1160-77), which is considerably more difficult to do than you might think.

I gave my predictions last season, with mixed results. So I'm right there with every other prognosticator as far as accuracy goes.

So then here are my predictions for the 2006 season with regular season record in parenthesis, followed by my comments and then my postseason picks with SuperBowl XLI winner.

AFC East: New England Patriots (12-4); thanks to a weak division and schedule.
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4); must pick the champs until they are beaten.
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts (12-4); who is going to beat Peyton? Nobody.
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs (10-6); win division based on series sweep of Broncos.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys (10-6); even with the human distraction machine that is T.O.
NFC North: Chicago Bears (12-4); class of a relatively soft division.
NFC South: Carolina Panthers (12-4); trendy pick to represent NFC in the Super Bowl.
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks (11-5); anxious to prove last year was no fluke.

Playoffs:
AFC Wild Cards: Denver Broncos (10-6) and Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
AFC Champion: New England Patriots

NFC Wild Cards: New York Giants (10-6) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
NFC Champion: Chicago Bears

Super Bowl XLI Champion: New England Patriots; tie Steelers with NFL record four championships in six seasons.

All of this and I can proudly say that I do not play fantasy football, nor have I ever gambled on any football game.

One Book...

stolen from kristi's blog at some point in the past:

1. One book that changed your life: The Bible

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: The only ones I can think of right now is actually a series of books called "The Belgariad" by David Eddings.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: The Bible

4. One book that made you laugh: Any book of Dilbert, Calvin & Hobbes or Fox Trot comics cracks me up.

5. One book that made you cry [or feel really sad]: "Bio of a Space Tyrant vol. 1: Refugee" by Piers Anthony. It made me cry/feel sad because one of the charachters I liked was killed in a most horriffic way and at the same time I read this I learned that the old family dog had just been put to sleep. This was 20+ years ago when I was in high school.

6. One book that you wish had been written: One in which I am the author.

7. One book that you wish had never been written: Origin of Species by Chuck Darwin

8. One book you’re currently reading: "One World: Economy, Government and Religion in the Last Days", Ron Bigalke, Jr., General Editor. Very interesting reading.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Oh there are so many....

10. Now tag some other people: Kayla, Dabich, Sarafina, Saur Kraut, LCCB, Constant Rain and Scribe. I'm tagging more than five because some will not play, like American Guy who never plays along with these things.

SNMR 1.1-1.30 INDEX PAGE

In an effort to tidy up my sidebar a wee-bit, I've decided to make an index page similar to this one for every thirty movies reviewed in this blog's Saturday Night Movie Reviews feature. To find a review, just click on the link below. After each title is the star rating (out of 5 stars) that I've rated each film. Play nice with the other children.

1.30 Romancing the Stone 5 stars

1.29 Where the Heart Is 3 stars

1.28 The Firm 4 1/2 stars

1.27 Some Kind of Wonderful 5 stars

1.26 Kingdom of Heaven 2 stars

1.25 Blade Runner 4 1/2 stars

1.24 Presumed Innocent 5 stars

1.23 Hanover Street 2 1/2 stars

1.22 Regarding Henry 4 stars

1.21 Firewall 2 1/2 stars

1.20 The Fugitive 5 stars

1.19 Witness 5 stars

1.18 Working Girl 4 1/2 stars

1.17 Six Days, Seven Nights 3 stars

1.16 War of the Worlds 3 1/2 stars

1.15 Mr. Holland's Opus 5 stars

1.14 {proof} 2 1/2 stars

1.13 Superman 4 1/2 stars

1.12 The Producers 3 stars

1.11 Enemy of the State 5 stars

1.10 King Arthur 2 stars

1.9 Her Alibi 4 stars

1.8 The Game 5 stars

1.7 The Skeleton Key 3 1/2 stars

1.6 The Outsiders 3 1/2 stars

1.5 The Passion of the Christ 5 stars

1.4 Walk the Line 3 stars

1.3 Good Will Hunting 5 stars

1.2 Hitch 5 stars

1.1 Must Love Dogs 3 1/2 stars

Harder than I thought it would be

Tagged by Kayla who was tagged by Lindzypinzy, etc. etc. etc.
I thought this would be relatively easy to do, but I found it harder than I thought it would be.

So here goes: (answers subject to change as the situation arises)

Things That Scare Me
*Republicans like W. (I suppose they're not all bad.)
*Reading in the news about child molesters & murderers
*People who believe evolution is true and refuse to look objectively at real science.


People Who Make Me Laugh
*V and M
*Bill Cosby
*Bill Murray
*Jim Gaffigan

Things I Hate the Most
[Hate is such a strong word; lets substitute annoy instead]
*People who use poor grammar and can't spell (whether its me or someone else; anyone who should know better)
*Not much else annoys me (that I can think of right now.)

Things I Don't Understand
*God's plan for my life.
*There are many other things, I'm sure.
*If I don't understand something I'll generally reserve my comments until I have an opportunity to read up on it, so I can offer an informed opinion.



Things I Want to do Before I Die*
*Travel to see more of the world.
*Find a girlfriend
*Get married again

Things I'm Doing Now
*Answering this tag
*Fixing dinner
*Cleaning my apartment and reading/sorting/filing old mail.

Things I Can Do
*"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Phillippians 4:13

Ways to Describe My Personality
*quiet & reserved
*eclectic
*casual

Things I Can't Do
*dance
*sing
*play any type of musical instrument

Things I Think You Should Listen To
*your conscience

Things You Should Never Listen To
*Who am I to tell you what you should not listen to?
*But just because you can listen to something doesn't necessarily mean that you should.

Things I'd Like to Learn
*Biblical (Koine) Greek and Hebrew
*how to pilot a small aircraft/helicopter

Favorite Foods
*Grilled steak tips w/baked potato & lots of sour cream
*Japanese/Chinese
*Mexican

Beverages I Drink Regularly
*Mountain Dew (caffeine, baby!!)
*Water
*Orange Juice
*Cran-something or other

Shows I Watched as a Kid
*Brady Bunch reruns
*Batman reruns
*Dukes of Hazard
*Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
*Force Five/G-Force
*Bugs & Daffy cartoon show

People I'm Tagging

*ummm, whoever wants to give this a try
because more people are likely to do it if no one is tagged

The Dash*

*This post originally was a copy of the poem "The Dash" by Linda Ellis, which was used without permission and has been removed due to notification of copyright infringement.


It's a most excellent poem, which you should read. You can now do so at the author's web-site, here.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Thank You,

The Management

SNMR 1.30: "Romancing the Stone"

Tonight's SNMR feature is Romancing the Stone (1984, PG, 106 minutes) starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, and Zack Norman. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis.

I first saw this film in the theater when it originally came out twenty-two years ago. I remember it well because as a fifteen year old boy just starting to become interested in women, Kathleen Turner was one sexy lady. And as I've said before, Michael Douglas is one of my favorite actors. Danny DeVito is excellent for comic relief.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Michael Douglas and kathleen Turner have the adventure of their lives in this hugely successful romantic caper co-starring Danny DeVito.
When her sister is kidnapped by thugs searching for a priceless jewel in the Colombian jungle, a romance novelist (Turner) soon finds her own life filled with cliffhangers and danger. All alone, she sets out to rescue her sister and meets up with a handsome fortune seeker (Douglas) who convinces her to beat the bandits to the treasure.

From Martin & Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2006, p. 964:

A rip-snorting adventure film that combines action, a love story, suspense and plenty of laughs, this movie stars Kathleen Turner as a timid romance novelist who becomes involved in a situation more dangerous, exciting, and romantic than anything she could ever dream up. Michael Douglas plays the shotgun wielding soldier of fortune who comes to her aid.

This film put director Robert Zemeckis on the map in Hollywood. It's the first of three films with the excellent team of Douglas, Turner and DeVito (Jewel of the Nile and War of the Roses are the other two). The script is well written and fast paced with plenty of action. I don't think this film would have been possible or at least as successful if not for Raiders of the Lost Ark, which came out three years earlier and sort of reinvented the action hero adventure film genre. If you haven't seen this film in a while, it's worth a rent, or to purchase in the newly released special edition. I'll give this film five out of five stars. An all around enjoyable movie.