Stumbling into 2018...

Well, today could've been better. But that's hard to control after not getting any sleep the night before. Actually wrote a relatively Iong Blogger post on my tablet; figured if I wasn't going to sleep, I could at least do that.

Unfortunately, if the Blogger app does have an auto-save feature for drafts, it didn't work for me. Lost the whole thing when I had to switch to another app for a moment; and my writing was just becoming inspired (!) when it occured. *sigh*

It was also the first time I'd used the Blogger app. Considering how taken I am with my tablet, I think this app could be a great help in getting me to post much more often. Also using my tablet's handwriting conversion feature to write this. Handy (no pun intended) but I definitely need a finer pointed stylus.

Well, I am tired and don't want to stay up long enough for a second wind to grab me. Time to chug my large mug of milk and just close my eyes. That's all I need to do, yet for some time now that's been what I've avoided. Which is why I've made it a personal mantra for me to follow.

"Just close your eyes!"

blog post soundtrack: Niagara

January 2nd, the New Year Begins!

Well, after dealing with migraines during Christmas, I ended up starting the New Year off with a head cold. Fortunately I'm feeling much better today and, aside from not getting into some of the good habits on my resolutions list right away, I have been able to avoid the bad habits so far. I've never been one to take New Year's resolutions seriously, but I'm seriously in need of them now.

I'd love to be able to get into writing a blog post every day, though I know that I'll be hard pressed to do so right away. But right now I have a good opportunity, as I wait for my number to come up in the chat help queue of an online retailer. I can't stand companies that don't offer e-mail as a help option.

Hopefully my number will come up soon, as I have a Predators game to watch in half an hour. Team's in Vegas and might be getting- Wait, just checked and Nashville will be getting Ryan Ellis back in the line-up tonight after missing the first 38 games of the season. Definitely could use him against the Golden Knights; at this point it's safe to say you shouldn't bet against Vegas. My father knows after Toronto's loss the other night.

Anyhoo...

Kong: Skull Island [2017]

Just some brief thoughts on the latest King Kong film, Warner Brothers' Kong: Skull Island, directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. (For the record, I really liked Universal Studios' 2005 King Kong, directed by Peter Jackson.) The time setting of Skull Island - immediately after the end of the Vietnam War - was nice and made for some decent basic storytelling. And aurally and visually the movie was amazing. Unfortunately, there is one action sequence in the middle that seemed so out of place style-wise that it took me out of the movie. Taking me out of the movie is bad. However, it's the characters where the movie really falls short. First off, John C. Reilly stole the show from everyone else in the movie. Hands down the best acting performance in the film, Toby Kebbell and Terry Notary's work as Kong included. Samuel L. Jackson's performance, on the other hand, would have worked... had the whole film been like the over-the-top action sequence I previously mentioned. John Goodman's early scenes were great, but he wasn't much more than an extra after that. Aside from Reilly and Kong the only characters that actually interested me were a few of the soldiers - the two played by Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) and Shea Whigham (Agent Carter), in particular - and the two young scientists played by Tian Jing (The Great Wall) and Corey Hawkins (The Walking Dead) - who we hardly got to know. The film-makers could also have done so much more with the character played by Miyavi (Unbroken). Have I forgotten anyone? Oh, yeah. Two unknown actors would have benefited greatly from simply being in this film, had the roles of two characters who were simply in the film not gone to Tom Hiddleston (Thor) and Brie Larson (Room). A bit of hyperbole, but not by much.

Superman III

This fan-made trailer for Superman III [1983] edited in the style of a horror movie is pretty cool! And it got me thinking about how that film truly holds up compared to the other three Christopher Reeve Superman movies.



I'm still fond of Superman III. People bash it for being too comedic due to Richard Pryor's character and for having a weak villain in businessman Ross Webster; or simply not having Gene Hackman return as Lex Luthor (whose role in Superman II was minimal next to the Kryptonian supervillains).

But I liked Pryor's Gus Gorman character and enjoyed Robert Vaughn as the villain. And while the comedic scenes are light in tone, I think their contrast with the dark tone of other parts of the film may artificially make the film seem "campy" to some.

The villain's sister (Annie Ross) being robotized by the super-computer scared me good as a kid, as evidenced in the video above. And while that scene may not scare me now, Clark Kent's fight with his "evil Superman" half in a junkyard is still creepy to watch.

Superman III has a number of memorable scenes and being a memorable film is, in my opinion, arguably better than being a "good" film that no one can remember anything about. While many such movies may be of the "so bad it's good" variety, most memorable scenes in Superman III are good.

While I'm not alone in thinking Superman II [1980] is the best of the Reeve films, a lot of people really only discuss the first two in such a discussion. That's fair enough, but in doing so, the third film often just gets lumped in with the fourth, which is just unfair. In spite of or because of Reeve's efforts in coming up with a socially relevant story about nuclear weapons, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace [1987] is just a bad movie.

Actually, I believe I like Superman III more than I do Superman [1978], if only because the latter's awful ending literally made most of the second half of the movie not matter. Which is even more of a shame due to how great the first half of the film is, from Kal-El's birth on the doomed planet Krypton through his years growing up in Smallville as Clark Kent.

Anyhoo...

Marvel's Agent Carter cancelled

I only watch six shows on television. Of those six, if I had to choose only one to keep watching, it would be Agent Carter. Why, aside from the fact that the writing and acting are wonderfully above the plain? Because it stands out from practically everything else on television. Without it, television will be lesser. Not just less enjoyable and less interesting; simply lesser.

Ideas for walls come crumbling down ...

I was recently asked if I was "open to new ideas". The answer is definitely yes, as I even see potential in at least discussing ideas that may "stupid" to some people, if not outright "crazy". The phrase "thinking outside the box" is a personal favorite of mine.

So far, this post may seem quite positive or upbeat; but from here on it gets gloomy. Sorry.

I also consider myself an "idea man". However, I've never been a leader. That's not a bad thing at its most basic, but after years of wandering nowhere (quite literally), I'm lost as to what exactly I want to do with myself, and even more so about how to do so.

I've now discovered that not being a leader has mutated into not even being able to lead myself; even with regards to making simple one-time decisions that will have little to no future effect on my life or the lives of others.

I live in a house of fear, built on a foundation of self-doubt, and covered in a roof of resignation.

Award Shows *sigh*

When The Martian won the 2016 Golden Globe award for "Best Film - Comedy or Musical", I realized that the "best of" picks of a small-town, one-person film fanzine (for example) are likely just as if not more valid than any major award show's selections, and the fanzine has a lot more integrity.

That, in turn, led me to finally come to the conscious realization that the major award shows have long been about keeping Hollywood in suspended animation, and mainstream movies in the driver's seat with regards making all the money, money, money. Together, these two "standards" have held back people and progress in the movie industry in many, many ways - from simple creativity to who gets to be involved and how.

And the awards themselves - the golden statuettes - are mere window dressing. The real "prize" these shows give out is the right to put "Academy Award nominee" or "Golden Globe winner" on future trailers and video releases. And not just for the films in question, but any future film or video release or television show; no matter how weak the connection. "From [i.e. produced by] Academy Award winning director...", "starring Golden Globe nominee...", and so on.

I personally would like to see a new kind of film award event, where every award category features five winners, five runner-ups and five honorable mentions; all announced at the event. The winners would all get to speak, maybe even the runner-ups. If not, the runners-up would at least be given a video spotlight, along with the honorable mentions.

This would go a long way towards stupid things* like The Martian winning "best comedy or musical", because they (the Golden Globes) wanted two dramas to get win a "best film" award. (Or accidentally promised to the people behind two different films that they would win "best film". You'd think they could at least rig the drama vote so it would be a tie, and both films would get an award; and, more importantly, they'd both be able to put "Golden Globe winner" on their Blu-ray release.)

* The "stupid thing" being a drama winning as a "comedy or musical". Having some humourous moments and a great pop-music soundtrack doesn't make a film a comedy or a musical. And I personally liked The Martian quite a bit.

Anyhoo...