Movie of the Week

This week,

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)

Starring- Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis

I have probably watched this movie more times than any other, and for me that is saying a lot. As a kid I was obsessed with everything Ghostbusters- especially this film. As I got older I began to re-appreciate it because I finally understood how funny it was, many of the jokes having gone over my head as a kid. The jokes were the brainchild of writers and stars Aykroyd and Ramis and the great improvisation of Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman. Originally penned by Aykroyd as a more surreal space/time ghost adventure for he and John Belushi, the film took on a more real world tone after Belushi died and Ramis was brought in to co-write. The version that director Ivan Reitman finally filmed is equal parts comedy, science fiction, summer blockbuster and going into business story.

The film follows three parapsychologists, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler who decide to take their knowledge outside of the university setting and go into business as ghost exterminators and eliminators. Along the way they meet client and Peter's would-be girlfriend, Dana Barrett (Weaver), who has had a spiritual encounter with a ghost named Zuul in her refrigerator. The story culminates with the Sumerian god Gozer returning to Earth to bring about the end of the world, but not before Dana and her neighbor Louis are possessed and turned into dogs, the Ghostbusters get arrested and a giant Marshmallow Man terrorizes New York City.

Like so many other classic comedies, Ghostbusters is loaded with hilarious scenes and memorable quotes. The strength of this movie is obvious to all because it spawned a sequel, a great cartoon, toys (most of which I still own) and a hit theme song by Ray Parker, Jr. Aykroyd and Murray were already household names because of their time on Saturday Night Live, but this movie made them icons. I will never be able to see a tall stack of books or a twinkie or a marshmallow for that matter and not instantly think of moments from Ghostbusters. The phrase "Who you gonna call?" has, since 1984, necessitated the answer- "GHOSTBUSTERS!" What else do you need to know?

Things to watch for-

William Atherton as a great weenus- Walter Peck
Slimer (said to be the ghost of John Belushi)
Ecto-1
The bag of Sta-Puft marshmallows on Dana's counter
A couple of wavy lines
The magic word
The Gate Keeper and the Key Master

"I collect spores, molds and fungus."

Here's a photo of me as Dr. Peter Venkman

Remember When?

I remember things, do you?

Remember when the word celebrity meant that someone was famous for something worthwhile, like being a good actor or actress or achieving something meaningful? Not like say, The Situation or Bristol Palin or Kate Gosselin?

Remember when every movie wasn't in 3D? Two dimensions was always good enough for me at the movies. Since when did it become necessary to have everything in 3D? I'm no expert, but I think Eat, Pray, Love would be just fine in 2D.

Remember when M & M's had plain and peanut and almond and that was it? Now there's pretzel and coconut and dark chocolate. What's next, raisin? I still want to get the light brown ones back in place of blue. Oh well.

Remember Crystal Pepsi? That was really good stuff, so refreshing, but really not at all like Pepsi. I think they should bring it back. It can't be any worse than all those foul tasting energy drinks.

Remember when shows like Hoarders weren't on T.V. and we only observed people like that from across the street in our neighborhoods?

Remember when hacky sacks were cool? I do, it was seventh grade for me.

NBA Season Preview

Basketball season is less than a month away, and I couldn't be happier. With all of the hoopla surrounding the offseason moves, I am very curious to see how they all pan out once the games get going. I heard some pretty big name players switched teams- who knew? There looks to be a power shift from the West to the East, which bodes well for my Jazz, but let's break it down team by team to see for sure. Here now are my picks and thoughts for the 2010-11 season.

EASTERN CONFERENCE-

1. HEAT* (The big three do what LeBron's teams always do, win a lot of regular season games- lose in the playoffs)
2. MAGIC (Dwight and Co. are primed for a deep run as they prove the doubters and Heat lovers wrong)
3. CELTICS* (If this team had been assembled in 2004 it would win 72 games and a championship, but its 2010, sorry old timers)
4. BULLS* (Rose, Boozer and this improved group show flashes of championship potential in their deepest run since the Jordan era)
5. BUCKS (Bogut comes back strong, but this team isn't quite on the same level as the top four)
6. HAWKS (Was Joe Johnson worth all that money? No. Hawks were a nice story, but not anymore.)
7. 76ERS (This team surprises the league and gives the big boys a scare, led by Rookie of the Year Evan Turner)
8. PACERS (The time has come for Indiana to return to the playoffs, led by Danny Granger and point guard Darren Collison)
9. BOBCATS (Some key offseason losses prove too much for Larry Brown's team to return to the postseason)
10. KNICKS (If only they had landed LeBron. They didn't, and Amare and Raymond Felton don't get you to the playoffs)
11. WIZARDS (John Wall will have plenty of years of success, but year one isn't one of them)
12. PISTONS (This team is lacking in many key areas, and it will be interesting to see if they try to make some moves)
13. CAVALIERS (Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison are all that remain to build around. Sorry, Dan Snyder, your team isn't good)
14. NETS (Lopez is a great building block and this team has a ton of money to spend in the next few years)
15. RAPTORS (If you remembered that the NBA had a team in Canada, you'll forget it this year)


WESTERN CONFERENCE-

1. LAKERS* (The champs reloaded with Barnes, Blake and Ratliff in supporting roles, and they still have that guy, what's his name, leading them)
2. THUNDER* (Kevin Durant is legit and his teammates aren't slouches either. They'll be in the finals within two years- guaranteed)
3. JAZZ (With a group of new players, Deron Williams gets back to the Western Finals and makes Al Jefferson a star)
4. MAVERICKS* (When you have Dirk Nowitzki you have a chance, but that's not going to be enough this year)
5. SPURS (I like this team's chances with the depth they have- if they can stay healthy. Duncan is supposedly healthy, I guess we'll see)
6. NUGGETS (This pick gets shelved if Carmelo gets traded because they won't make the playoffs without him)
7. SUNS (Nash lost his best target, but he makes everybody else around him so much better that they might make it to the second round)
8. ROCKETS (The return of Yao is big, but the Rockets need a lot from Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks because Yao will only play 24 minutes a game)
9. BLAZERS (Another team with health issues will be okay if Brandon Roy can be the leader he is capable of being)
10. HORNETS (Chris Paul is a great point guard, but this team lacks depth at most of the other positions)
11. GRIZZLIES (This team might be a dark horse for the playoffs with scorers like O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay)
12. KINGS (Sacramento is trying to be like the Thunder by rebuilding through the draft, but there's no Kevin Durant on their team)
13. WARRIORS (No more Nellie is sad, but the team might be better off in the long run)
14. TIMBERWOLVES (Kevin Love and Corey Brewer are studs, but they need more pieces around them if they want to get out of the cellar)
15. CLIPPERS (It's the Clippers, where else would they be but dead last?)

*Divison Winner

WEST FINALS- LAKERS over JAZZ
EAST FINALS- MAGIC over HEAT
NBA CHAMPIONSHIP- MAGIC over LAKERS

Movie of the Week

This week,

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1989)

Starring- Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones

To start off the month of October, here's a review of a movie with 'October' in the title. I'm so clever.

The first big screen appearance of author Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan is a classic Cold War thriller. Ryan has been featured in three subsequent films where he has been played by Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck, but the best movie about him was this one where he was played by Alec Baldwin. Baldwin turns in an impressive performance, and is helped along by a very strong supporting cast led by the great Sean Connery as the Soviet submarine captain, Marko Ramius.

Ramius is the senior commander of Russia's newest and most advanced sub, the Red October, which boasts a Caterpillar propulsion system that renders it almost completely silent to enemy submarines. It is a weapon that could threaten the delicate balance between the U.S. and the Soviets at the hight of the Cold War, and because of this Ramius plans to defect. It is up to Jack Ryan to make sure that Ramius and the Red October get a chance to fulfill their mission, but circumstances are complicated by the U.S. Navy who think the submarine is rogue, and the Russians who plan to sink Ramius so that the submarine cannot fall into the Americans' hands.

Thanks to the work of the U.S.S. Dallas, commanded by Captain Mancuso (Scott Glenn), the Red October is easy to find once Ryan figures out Ramius' plan. Once on board the Red October, Ryan and Mancuso accept Ramius' defection, but not before another Russian sub goes on the attack. The suspense ratchets up and up until the climax which I will not spoil here. In addition to the ever present Cold War tension, there is a good deal of humor mixed in- most of it coming when Connery and Baldwin finally share scenes together.

The Hunt for Red October is a great film that showcases some quintessential moments in the genre. There are scenes and lines that have become iconic, including the performances of Baldwin and Connery. The only better submarine movie is Das Boot, and it has subtitles.

Things to watch for-

Tim Curry as the Russian doctor
Stanley and his little brother
Alec Baldwin's Sean Connery impression
Montana

"I'm not an agent, I just write books for the CIA."

Vietnam Thesis- Part XI

Map of the Easter Offensive

Part eleven, kids.

Amid waning morale and skepticism from soldiers, the first major test of the South Vietnamese army came in early 1971 with an invasion of Laos. The U.S. armed forces were relegated to protecting the ARVN from the Vietnamese side of the border. The offensive known as Lam Son 719, was a complete disaster for the South Vietnamese. After 46 days in February and March, it was clear that the South Vietnamese could not sustain another attack of that sort. Young South Vietnamese people struck back at the Americans, angry that they were now turning their backs on them. U.S. commanders, worried about attacks from Vietnamese civilians and the lack of motivation among their own troops, saw the need to end the war, no matter what. 

This idea of abandonment had long been entertained by the regular GIs, but now it was beginning to sound like an option to the commanders as well. It was evident in that Nixon’s approval rating was sliding as was opinion on his handling of the war. Everyone involved smelled the stench of death on the South Vietnamese, and saw that there was no way to persuade the American troops to continue to die in large numbers. Knowing that very little could be done to secure victory, the Nixon government went to work in 1972 hoping to at least secure peace. Apparently, the complaints of soldiers had finally reached the ears of the men in power. 

In an attempt to move the peace process forward, Nixon unveiled an eight point plan in January of 1972. In response to Nixon’s new plan, the North Vietnamese launched an all out attack on the ARVN and remaining U.S. forces in March. This was done to help give the North an upper hand in the peace process, and to pressure Nixon who was facing the presidential election in November. As with the Tet Offensive before it, the Easter Offensive caught military leaders by surprise. It is not surprising, however, that this lack of information about the attack made troops angry at their superiors. W.R. Baker, who was stationed in Da Nang during 1971 and 1972, wrote that, “The "intelligence failure" during the Easter Offensive was less a failure to collect intelligence than it was a failure to exploit obvious indicators.”

Every slight advantage that the U.S. had during the Vietnam war had been systematically taken away by the enemy, either through their cunning or our inability to take away their edge. After the Spring of 1972 you would be hard pressed to find any man in Vietnam who still fully supported the war.

O.M.G. McFlippy's

I like to eat out when I can.  Usually I will go out with my wife to a nice place, but sometimes we’ll slum it. Sometimes we’ll just pile in the car and go on down to Chili’s or TGI Friday’s or Applebee’s.  Remember when Applebee’s started that new ad campaign?  They tried to kind of upscale their ads and logo, so that it didn’t look like such a dank nightmare of a chain. I know, let’s get that good looking John Corbett to be our spokesperson, that’ll show ‘em! I’ve probably only eaten at Applebee’s three or four times, but I’ve been to Chili’s and TGI Friday’s more often, but I can tell you that I feel the same way about all of them. They suck. I’m sorry if you like to eat at these places, but to me they could all be combined into one annoying super-chain so that we could just simplify our lives.  What the hell, let’s throw Red Robin and Wingers and Johnny Rockets and Ruby Tuesday’s in there too.  That’s where we’ll be someday, there will be just one stupid super chain restaurant. It’ll have all the charm and crap that all these places have. It’ll be called O.M.G. McFlippy’s and it’ll have a slogan like- “Flip in some flavor, neighbor!” 

So, you’ll walk in and on the speakers at some ungodly decibel is some shitty old Sugar Ray song from 1998, and some girl with a headset greets you at the door, and they walk you way the hell around the restaurant into some hidden alcove somewhere where you find your table.  I didn’t even know this part of the building existed. Of course there’ll be some huge family with like seven kids at the table next to you, and there’s spilled milk and pasta and pieces of cheese all over the place. Let's see what there is to eat.

Guess what O.M.G. McFlippy's has to offer-

-So much crazy crap on the walls

            -License plates from other states? Get outta here!

            -Hub caps- no way!

            -Wacky old posters

-Drink menus with huge pictures of punch bowl sized drinks with names like-

            -Razzleberry Mucho Gusto Margarita

            -Diablo Daquiri

            -Ragin’ Cajun Mondo Mixer Martini

            -Blended Blitz Bacardi Bomb

The 80 page menu with pictures of the most garish items.

-Appetizers which include-

            -Southwestern Shrimp Sizzlers

            -Ranch Dippers

            -Potato Skin Shooters

            -Deep Fried Mozarella Finger Twisters with 6 delicious dipping sauces

            -Twelve Alarm Toxic Atomic Boneless Wings- that are so hot- you’ll shit the bed!

-Entrees

            -Salads that have more dressing than anything else

            -Jack Daniels Shrimp, Sirloin, Chicken, Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Scallops, Lobster, Burgers, Tripe, Veal, Lamb Chops, Pork Chops, Venison, T-Bone, Porterhouse, Filet, Flank Steak, Rib Eye, London Broil and Bacon Wrapped Cheese.

            -Fish and Chips with a 50/1 breading to fish ratio

            -Fajitas served on the hottest skillet imaginable

           

-Desserts

            -Molten Peach Cobbler

            -Molten Chocolate Thunder Volcano Cake

            -Molten Cheesecake

            -Molten Apple Strudel

            -Molten Jack Daniels Deep Fried Cookie Dough Mound with Ice Cream

And for those customers who are too obese and ashamed to come in, don’t worry because we’ll bring your 9 Appetizer platters and your Jack Daniels’ Ribwich basket out to your Dodge Neon, free of charge! 

Movie of the Week

This Week,

STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986)

Starring- William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan

For many, especially non-Star Trek fans, this film is known as, "the one with the whales." It is also one of the best Star Trek films. My favorite is Star Trek II, but I have a special place for this, the funniest installment in the series, in my heart. It was a conscious decision by the filmmakers to make this movie lighter in tone than the previous two, which had been darker and rife with conflict. Originally, the studio wanted to put Eddie Murphy in the movie as a 20th Century con man, but that was scrapped early on. The story instead centers around an alien probe that comes to Earth with a message, but the message is destructive to the planet and it is not known what the message is, or who it is for. It is up to the Enterprise crew to figure out how to solve the problem.

Kirk and Co., who are facing Court Martial for their actions in Star Trek III, discover that the probe's message is for the extinct species- Humpback Whale. The only way to get whales is for the crew to go back in time to the 20th Century to get them. Thanks to help from the newly resurrected Spock, the crew gets back to 1986 and finds the whales, but encounters unforeseen difficulties as well. It is so funny to see how the crew is out of their element in the present day, and because of that fact this film was entertaining to many who had never seen Star Trek before.

If I am hoping to get someone new involved in Star Trek, this is the movie I show them because of its humor and the great message it has about humanity's effect on the world. Star Trek IV is particularly relevant in 2010 because of the way in which we are changing the climate every day, and that what we do may harm the world in ways we cannot yet comprehend.

Like all great Star Trek stories, this film has an optimistic message and is driven by the iconic characters. Each member of the crew gets a moment of their own in which to shine. Among my favorites are Scotty and McCoy at the Plexiglass factory, and Spock and Kirk's argument over Italian food. Trekkie or not, you will be entertained and enlightened by this story. Happily for the audience and the crew, the end sets up yet another sequel as the new Enterprise warps off into space, going where no man has gone before- again.

Things to watch for-

Nuclear Wessels
George and Gracie
7th Heaven's Catherine Hicks as Gillian
Shatner's stunt swimming
Scotty talks to the computer
A punk gets Vulcan nerve pinched

"One damn minute, Admiral."