Just to be cautious, I will preface this entry with a spoiler alert.
After seeing Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was not entirely what I expected, I thought I would take a look at the world of comic book movies as a whole.
You might have heard that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been mildly successful. Both of the Avengers movies and Civil War racked up more than $1 billion internationally. Since Iron Man came out 6 years ago, every single MCU movie has been a box office hit and, for the most part, a critical success. Seriously, there isn't one single bad movie in the bunch.
The results have been more mixed at DC. Superman Returns (the one with Brandon Routh) was a disappointment (although I did watch it recently, and it really isn't that bad of a movie), and the Green Lantern was an absolute mess. The Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy, which took a gritty, realistic approach, was well-done overall, especially The Dark Knight, the second entry in the series.
Finally, the folks at DC and Warner Bros. decided to get their shit together and make a coordinated effort to create their own universe. After all, they also have their own set of iconic characters to work with including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern. So far, the jury is still out. Man of Steel was flawed, but entertaining overall. It tried to copy the gritty feel of the Batman movies, but that tone just doesn't work for Superman. Zack Snyder's directing was a bit overdone, and the prolonged fight between Superman and General Zod might have even topped the Transformers movies for the amount of property destroyed. I also didn't liked the contrived situation that was set up at the end that forced Superman to kill General Zod. At least Henry Cavill was a decent choice to fill Superman's tights.
Although Man of Steel was by no means a flop, the box office figures, particularly the international numbers, were a disappointment. At this point, the powers that be at Warner Bros. shelved a trilogy of Superman movies and decided Supes needed some help in the next movie, specifically in the form of Batman.
When Batman v. Superman came out earlier this year, it seemed like everyone, particularly Marvel junkies, was waiting for it to suck, and almost hoping for it to fail. It was (unfairly) beaten up by critics, and the studio was supposedly not pleased with the end result either.
I watched this on streaming video bracing myself for the worst, but I was pleasantly surprised. The darker, gritter tone worked this time, because this fits for a movie with Batman in it. The effects were top-notch, as they should be for a ginormous $250 million budget, and the pacing was good, even for a 2 1/2 hour movie. The fight between the two heroes and the battle at the end of the movie were both fun to watch. I did not get a chance to watch the even longer self-indulgent R-rated cut of the film, which many critics think is better. Anyway, I liked how they developed the main characters. Superman and Lois Lane held their own, and I thought Ben Affleck, despite the loud complaints about his casting, was surprisingly good as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The Bruce Wayne we see in this movie is a world-weary one, having fought badguys in Gotham for 20 years. Jeremy Irons is also a very good fit as Alfred Pennyworth. Gal Gadot was a good choice to play Wonder Woman, and it's about time we see this iconic character in a movie.
Although I liked this sequel better then Man of Steel, I would still call it flawed, but entertaining. Jesse Eisenberg's quirky portrayal of Lex Luthor was disappointing, especially after the rumors that Bryan Cranston was going to play Superman's arch nemesis. I also didn't like the fact that Batman and Superman finally started to get along after they found out that both their mothers (stepmother in Superman's case) were named Martha. Zack Snyder still has a tendency to over-direct, but it's not as obvious this time. Also, even though the dark approach works here, the movie had barely any levity or humor whatsoever.
Like Man of Steel, the movie was not a flop, but was again a disappointment. The fans showed up on opening weekend to give the film a strong start, and then the movie took an historic 81 percent nosedive on the second weekend. The studio was expecting this to hit the billion-dollar mark internationally, but fell short by about $125 million. Meanwhile, Marvel's Captain America: Civil War (which I haven't seen yet... Boo!) was loved by critics and audiences, and was another billion-dollar megahit.
After than the less-than-impressive results from the two DC Extended Universe movies, it looks like the folks at Warner Bros./DC are doing some course correcting. Next month, "Suicide Squad" comes out, and it would really be hard for a movie about a bunch of villains working together to help the good guys to not be entertaining. After that comes Wonder Woman, then the Justice League movie featuring a resurrected Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. The previews from both of these movies featured a lot of witty humor, something which critics have said is missing from these movies. The powers that be also made a wise decision to take one of the best elements of "Batman v. Superman" and double down on it. Ben Affleck will be directing, co-writing and starring in a standalone Batman film, rumored to be titled "The Batman."
Again, the jury is still out on the DC Extended Universe. The Marvel movies are working so well because they deliver everything audiences want. They have great special effects, larger-than-life heroes, good stories (although they are becoming a bit formulaic), and lots of humor. It has gotten to the point where you see the Marvel name on a movie, and you know you will be entertained for 2 hours, which is why people go to the movies. Also, producer Kevin Feige is there to make sure everything fits into the big picture, but each movie does have its own individual style (to a point). Geoff Johns and Jon Berg will take on this responsibility for DC.
The DC movies (so far) have delivered good characters and effects, but are too heavy and dark overall, and are a little weak in the story department. They pale in comparison to the Marvel movies.
I am optimistic, because they are realizing these movies are not clicking on all cylinders, and they are actively trying to do something about it, and understand that they need to lighten things up. However, they have a long way to go before they even come close to the well-oiled machine that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Update: The reviews for "Suicide Squad" are in, and critics generally say it is a mess. Supposedly this is the result of several factors: They had to rush post-production to make the release date, and there were two cuts of the movie: One from director David Ayer and the one credited editor; and another from Warner Bros., which was still hurting from the criticism that Bv.S was too dark and somber, and wanted to match the irreverent, "edgy" tone of the first teaser trailer. The end result was supposedly a chaotic, muddled mash-up of the two cuts. The movie needs to gross at least $750 million internationally to break even, and that is exactly what the studio is hoping for at this point... survival.
June 2017 update: According to reviews, It looks like "Wonder Woman" is actually a good movie. Coming from a largely unproven female star (Gal Gadot) and director (Patty Jenkins), I am told it is fun to watch and makes a good feminist statement without being overwhelming. Could this be the first billion-dollar blockbuster for the DCEU? We will see. Also, the trailers for "Justice League," using the song "Come Together," continue to look lame. Three months ago, Zach Snyder's daughter committed suicide. He tried to go back to work, but later said he couldn't do it. As a result, workhorse Joss Whedon was brought in to finish reshoots. As far as I know, Snyder still gets sole directing credit. My wife feels awful for Snyder, but I personally think this was done for other reasons. Finally, even though there is a perfectly good version of "The Flash" on TV, they are still making a movie. However, rumors are saying that Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Cast Away) may be helming this movie. Sadly, I haven't been keeping up with the four "Arrowverse" TV shows because I have been a bit busy.
July 2017 update: The latest on the "Flash" movie is that they are bringing in "Lego Movie" directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller to take over the franchise. Hopefully Zemeckis is still on the table. Wonder Woman has made it to $750 million worldwide.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Thoughts and observations from our vacation
Last week, our family traveled to Hilton Head Island for a much-needed vacation. Here are some interesting facts from the road, some overall observances, and some changes and habits I hope to break.
1. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Danville, VA on the way down. It was Saturday night and there was a club in the hotel, pumping out loud music until after midnight. Interesting how this was not mentioned in any Yelp or TripAdvisor reviews. There was a Mexican restaurant attached to the hotel. They were nice enough to sing "Happy Birthday" to my now 15-year-old niece and put a big sombrero on her head, but the food was mediocre overall. Breakfast wasn't bad, and the hotel provided eggs and sausage.
2. We were pleasantly surprised when we got to Hilton Head. Our timeshare villa was very spacious, and the 2 full bathrooms were a godsend. The bed wasn't that comfortable, but I have slept in worse. It also helped that we were a 5-minute walk from the beach.
3. For most of the trip, the surf was very light, and the ocean seemed like a lake. This was good for the kids. Also, until now, I didn't know sand dollars were living creatures that use small hairs to move, and eat microscopic creatures in the sand. Beachgoers, take note: Many places have laws similar to Hilton Head... If you take living things out of the ocean, you can be fined $500 per item. That's all I am going to say about that.
4. Thanks to strict laws for developers and a permanent population that is very proud of their community, the island is beautiful. Even though nearly 300,000 people crowd the island during peak vacation season, the island seems to be a bucolic and peaceful place. Also, many areas of the island are preserved for wildlife. Even the Walmart parking lot is wooded. This is the cleanest, nicest Walmart I have ever been in.
5. Many people think "snotty golf resort" when they hear Hilton Head Island, and that is not at all the case. There are many things for families to do besides the beach. There are many miles of bike trails, a children's museum, great shops, and we even visited a petting zoo while the girls in our group were on a horseback ride. Most importantly, the McDonald's on the island has a play land! People are generally pleasant and laid-back, as they should be on vacation. Also, rentals on the island cost about half as much as the Jersey Shore, the island is a prettier and cleaner environment, and you don't have to deal with obnoxious people from the Northeast. Frankly, I find Ocean City, NJ, a lot snottier than Hilton Head.
6. On a similar topic, lots of stuff is cheaper in the South. I realize people don't make as much and the cost of living is a little bit lower, but it was nice to get a big bag of Cajun peanut mix for $3, and inflatable innertubes for the kids for $3 each.
7. Being able to buy beer and wine at any grocery and convenience store shows how ass-backwards Pa.'s liquor laws are (I remember explaining to a tourist from Virginia how to buy alcohol, and I remember him saying "What the hell is a state store?"). It looks like Pa. has finally decided to loosen things up a bit.
8. I was able to get to my two favorite restaurants on the island. One Hot Mama's still makes some great barbecue, and the Skull Creek Boathouse still serves up top-notch seafood. I had a gigantic bowl full of clams, snow crab legs, oysters, shrimp, mussels, potatoes and corn on the cob, all in butter sauce. I haven't had oysters in a while, and I forgot how good they actually are. Both of these restaurants are casual, and are reasonably priced for the quality of the food.
9. On the other hand, we ate at Aunt Chilada's, a Mexican-ish place. We were 0-2 for Mexican food on this trip, because Aunt Chilada's served up some bland, mediocre food. My wife had Chorizo and Chicken Pasta. There wasn't much flavor, and the pasta was overcooked. Blech.
10. Out of all the souvenir shops we walked into, the place that sells the nicest souvenirs for the best prices is, you guessed it, Walmart.
11. During our last day on the beach, I decided to be macho and go without sunscreen, because I have this crazy idea that I can tan and not burn because I am half Italian. Once again I was wrong. I must have gotten sun poisoning, because we went mini golfing that night, and at about the second hole, I was dizzy and out of it, and had to go to the snack bar for more water. I made it through all 18 holes, but I couldn't concentrate, and wasn't able to coach my kids as they randomly banged the ball throughout the course. I checked my blood sugar when we got back because I thought I was hypoglycemic, but it was normal. I am guessing it was a combination of too much sun, not enough water, and overall vacation fatigue.
12. Out of all the things we did, nothing gave me greater joy than being able to see my family for the first time in years. My Aunt Val and Uncle Biff came to see us in Hilton Head. My aunt is one of the nicest people I have ever been around. My uncle and me had lots of great conversations about cars, planes and other stuff most people don't care about. Like me, my uncle is a Tucker man through and through. However, he reminds me so much of my late father and grandfather that it makes me sad in a way. Still, I can't tell you how much Jaci and I appreciated Val and Biff taking the 5-hour drive from metro Orlando to see us.
13. On a similar note, we stopped in metro Atlanta to see my cousins Graham and Robin. (Graham is Val and Biff's younger son). We were given nothing but the finest southern hospitality, with BBQ ribs for dinner, and mints on the bed (and a shark for my wife). It was great to catch up with them, and see their kids. Ryan, is another Tucker male who can even talk my son Liam under the table. I also met their adorable 3-year-old son Reese for the first time. My only regret is we didn't stay there longer. I will plan things out better the next time.
14. We were barred from swimming twice on this trip thanks to what is referred to in the pool industry as an AFR, or accidental fecal release. Once at our community in Hilton Head, and once when we went to the community pool near Graham and Robin's house. What are the odds?
15. Interstate 16 in Georgia, a long, straight highway that connects Savannah to Macon, is one of the most boring highways I have ever been on. It is up there with the Indiana Toll Road, the New York Thruway between Syracuse and Buffalo, and the worst of them all, the Atlantic City Expressway. It exists so Atlantans can get to the beach, and so the coast can evacuate in the event of a hurricane.
16. Until now, the only thing I knew about Macon is that they used to have a hockey team called the Whoopee. Get it? Now I know that Macon is very hot in the summer, they have a Chick-fil-A and a Chipotle, and used to have a hockey team called the Whoopee.
17. I had the "privilege" of driving through Atlanta. Unlike the woefully inadequate and narrow highways in Pa.'s cities like the Surekill Expressway in Philadelphia and the Penn Lincoln Parking Lot in Pittsburgh, The highways in Atlanta have lots of lanes. Some sections of I-75 in and around the city have as many as 15 lanes. It also helped that trucks can't drive through the city, instead having to use the Perimeter Highway. I took Uncle Biff's advice, and used the HOV lane through town. Still, given the amount of traffic as well as the highway's hills, curves and underpasses, it was a white-knuckle drive.
18. Speaking of that, I always thought Atlanta was the biggest city in the South. Although Atlanta has the largest metro area by far, the city itself has fewer than 500,000 people. Several southern cities like Charlotte, Memphis and Louisville are larger. For my purposes, Florida is not part of the South.
19. On our way home, we traveled in the car for several hours for three days in a row. In retrospect, that wasn't a good idea. We could have solved this problem by spending more time with our cousins.
20. We stayed at a Microtel in Princeton, WV, on the way back. It was nice enough, and the staff was friendly, but we didn't sleep well, the pool was tiny and not heated, and there wasn't much to choose from at breakfast, especially if you are trying to avoid carbs.
21. West Virginia ranked 50th in quality of life and for business among U.S. states. That's a shame, because it is a beautiful state full of mountains and scenery. Maybe it has to do with the fact that there are no major cities or cultural centers. The largest city in the state is Charleston, with 51,000 people.
22. We didn't get to see much of this scenery, because it was pouring for most of the last day of the trip as we drove through the state. Luckily there was a break in the rain so we could make a quick stop to see the New River Gorge Bridge. This steel arch bridge is more than 3,000 feet long and almost 900 feet above the New River. This is the third-highest bridge in the U.S., behind the Royal Gorge Bridge and the recently opened Hoover Dam bypass. The New River Gorge is similar in size and scope to the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon. My niece and me were able to get a nice view below the bridge as we climbed down some 200 steps to the vantage point. It should also be noted that we had to climb up these same stairs. I am not as young as I used to be.
23. What makes this bridge unique is that it is made of steel. It is made with a special steel that is supposed to rust on the outside and stay strong on the inside. The steel latticework is beautiful, and the rust color helps it blend in with the natural surroundings. If the bridge was built today, it would probably be made from concrete, like the Hoover Dam Bypass.
24. Thankfully, the cats didn't destroy the house when we got back. We are still adjusting to reality, work and all that good stuff.
25. The local paper in Hilton Head polled the readers on what gun laws need to be changed. After reading the results, it became perfectly obvious that South Carolina is a dark red state. On that note, we were amused by a car we saw in the island more than once with a bumper sticker that said "Obozo." I am sure this person thinks the president should be impeached for unspecified crimes against humanity and has insisted for years that he wasn't born in the U.S.
26. I tried boiled peanuts for the first time. The person at the stand was nice enough to let me sample a couple before I got a $5 bag of them. Basically, peanuts are boiled in a brine rather than roasted. They are soft, and the consistency reminded me of chick peas or pinto beans. Although I wasn't repulsed by them, I didn't want a whole bag. I think the guy at the stand put it best when he said "It's a Southern thing." At least I can say I tried them.
26. We ate at a Burger King twice during our travels - two times too many. It's worth paying the extra money to go to Panera, Chipotle, or even to the evangelical zealots at Chick-Fil-A.
27. I avoided Facebook and the Internet while on vacation, instead deciding to read. I even took FB off my phone. I am glad I did this, because I was just getting too angry at everyone. I will use Facebook to keep up with friends and post family pictures and funny things, but I am done with political ranting. This will be difficult, because one particularly moronic meme asked where Obama was after the Dallas shootings. Think about how wrong and stupid that is on so many levels. Anyway, I realize I won't change anyone's votes or opinions no matter how much I bitch and moan. I just have to hope and pray that common sense will prevail when Americans go to the ballot box in November.
1. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Danville, VA on the way down. It was Saturday night and there was a club in the hotel, pumping out loud music until after midnight. Interesting how this was not mentioned in any Yelp or TripAdvisor reviews. There was a Mexican restaurant attached to the hotel. They were nice enough to sing "Happy Birthday" to my now 15-year-old niece and put a big sombrero on her head, but the food was mediocre overall. Breakfast wasn't bad, and the hotel provided eggs and sausage.
2. We were pleasantly surprised when we got to Hilton Head. Our timeshare villa was very spacious, and the 2 full bathrooms were a godsend. The bed wasn't that comfortable, but I have slept in worse. It also helped that we were a 5-minute walk from the beach.
3. For most of the trip, the surf was very light, and the ocean seemed like a lake. This was good for the kids. Also, until now, I didn't know sand dollars were living creatures that use small hairs to move, and eat microscopic creatures in the sand. Beachgoers, take note: Many places have laws similar to Hilton Head... If you take living things out of the ocean, you can be fined $500 per item. That's all I am going to say about that.
4. Thanks to strict laws for developers and a permanent population that is very proud of their community, the island is beautiful. Even though nearly 300,000 people crowd the island during peak vacation season, the island seems to be a bucolic and peaceful place. Also, many areas of the island are preserved for wildlife. Even the Walmart parking lot is wooded. This is the cleanest, nicest Walmart I have ever been in.
5. Many people think "snotty golf resort" when they hear Hilton Head Island, and that is not at all the case. There are many things for families to do besides the beach. There are many miles of bike trails, a children's museum, great shops, and we even visited a petting zoo while the girls in our group were on a horseback ride. Most importantly, the McDonald's on the island has a play land! People are generally pleasant and laid-back, as they should be on vacation. Also, rentals on the island cost about half as much as the Jersey Shore, the island is a prettier and cleaner environment, and you don't have to deal with obnoxious people from the Northeast. Frankly, I find Ocean City, NJ, a lot snottier than Hilton Head.
6. On a similar topic, lots of stuff is cheaper in the South. I realize people don't make as much and the cost of living is a little bit lower, but it was nice to get a big bag of Cajun peanut mix for $3, and inflatable innertubes for the kids for $3 each.
7. Being able to buy beer and wine at any grocery and convenience store shows how ass-backwards Pa.'s liquor laws are (I remember explaining to a tourist from Virginia how to buy alcohol, and I remember him saying "What the hell is a state store?"). It looks like Pa. has finally decided to loosen things up a bit.
8. I was able to get to my two favorite restaurants on the island. One Hot Mama's still makes some great barbecue, and the Skull Creek Boathouse still serves up top-notch seafood. I had a gigantic bowl full of clams, snow crab legs, oysters, shrimp, mussels, potatoes and corn on the cob, all in butter sauce. I haven't had oysters in a while, and I forgot how good they actually are. Both of these restaurants are casual, and are reasonably priced for the quality of the food.
9. On the other hand, we ate at Aunt Chilada's, a Mexican-ish place. We were 0-2 for Mexican food on this trip, because Aunt Chilada's served up some bland, mediocre food. My wife had Chorizo and Chicken Pasta. There wasn't much flavor, and the pasta was overcooked. Blech.
10. Out of all the souvenir shops we walked into, the place that sells the nicest souvenirs for the best prices is, you guessed it, Walmart.
11. During our last day on the beach, I decided to be macho and go without sunscreen, because I have this crazy idea that I can tan and not burn because I am half Italian. Once again I was wrong. I must have gotten sun poisoning, because we went mini golfing that night, and at about the second hole, I was dizzy and out of it, and had to go to the snack bar for more water. I made it through all 18 holes, but I couldn't concentrate, and wasn't able to coach my kids as they randomly banged the ball throughout the course. I checked my blood sugar when we got back because I thought I was hypoglycemic, but it was normal. I am guessing it was a combination of too much sun, not enough water, and overall vacation fatigue.
12. Out of all the things we did, nothing gave me greater joy than being able to see my family for the first time in years. My Aunt Val and Uncle Biff came to see us in Hilton Head. My aunt is one of the nicest people I have ever been around. My uncle and me had lots of great conversations about cars, planes and other stuff most people don't care about. Like me, my uncle is a Tucker man through and through. However, he reminds me so much of my late father and grandfather that it makes me sad in a way. Still, I can't tell you how much Jaci and I appreciated Val and Biff taking the 5-hour drive from metro Orlando to see us.
13. On a similar note, we stopped in metro Atlanta to see my cousins Graham and Robin. (Graham is Val and Biff's younger son). We were given nothing but the finest southern hospitality, with BBQ ribs for dinner, and mints on the bed (and a shark for my wife). It was great to catch up with them, and see their kids. Ryan, is another Tucker male who can even talk my son Liam under the table. I also met their adorable 3-year-old son Reese for the first time. My only regret is we didn't stay there longer. I will plan things out better the next time.
14. We were barred from swimming twice on this trip thanks to what is referred to in the pool industry as an AFR, or accidental fecal release. Once at our community in Hilton Head, and once when we went to the community pool near Graham and Robin's house. What are the odds?
15. Interstate 16 in Georgia, a long, straight highway that connects Savannah to Macon, is one of the most boring highways I have ever been on. It is up there with the Indiana Toll Road, the New York Thruway between Syracuse and Buffalo, and the worst of them all, the Atlantic City Expressway. It exists so Atlantans can get to the beach, and so the coast can evacuate in the event of a hurricane.
16. Until now, the only thing I knew about Macon is that they used to have a hockey team called the Whoopee. Get it? Now I know that Macon is very hot in the summer, they have a Chick-fil-A and a Chipotle, and used to have a hockey team called the Whoopee.
17. I had the "privilege" of driving through Atlanta. Unlike the woefully inadequate and narrow highways in Pa.'s cities like the Surekill Expressway in Philadelphia and the Penn Lincoln Parking Lot in Pittsburgh, The highways in Atlanta have lots of lanes. Some sections of I-75 in and around the city have as many as 15 lanes. It also helped that trucks can't drive through the city, instead having to use the Perimeter Highway. I took Uncle Biff's advice, and used the HOV lane through town. Still, given the amount of traffic as well as the highway's hills, curves and underpasses, it was a white-knuckle drive.
18. Speaking of that, I always thought Atlanta was the biggest city in the South. Although Atlanta has the largest metro area by far, the city itself has fewer than 500,000 people. Several southern cities like Charlotte, Memphis and Louisville are larger. For my purposes, Florida is not part of the South.
19. On our way home, we traveled in the car for several hours for three days in a row. In retrospect, that wasn't a good idea. We could have solved this problem by spending more time with our cousins.
20. We stayed at a Microtel in Princeton, WV, on the way back. It was nice enough, and the staff was friendly, but we didn't sleep well, the pool was tiny and not heated, and there wasn't much to choose from at breakfast, especially if you are trying to avoid carbs.
21. West Virginia ranked 50th in quality of life and for business among U.S. states. That's a shame, because it is a beautiful state full of mountains and scenery. Maybe it has to do with the fact that there are no major cities or cultural centers. The largest city in the state is Charleston, with 51,000 people.
22. We didn't get to see much of this scenery, because it was pouring for most of the last day of the trip as we drove through the state. Luckily there was a break in the rain so we could make a quick stop to see the New River Gorge Bridge. This steel arch bridge is more than 3,000 feet long and almost 900 feet above the New River. This is the third-highest bridge in the U.S., behind the Royal Gorge Bridge and the recently opened Hoover Dam bypass. The New River Gorge is similar in size and scope to the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon. My niece and me were able to get a nice view below the bridge as we climbed down some 200 steps to the vantage point. It should also be noted that we had to climb up these same stairs. I am not as young as I used to be.
23. What makes this bridge unique is that it is made of steel. It is made with a special steel that is supposed to rust on the outside and stay strong on the inside. The steel latticework is beautiful, and the rust color helps it blend in with the natural surroundings. If the bridge was built today, it would probably be made from concrete, like the Hoover Dam Bypass.
24. Thankfully, the cats didn't destroy the house when we got back. We are still adjusting to reality, work and all that good stuff.
25. The local paper in Hilton Head polled the readers on what gun laws need to be changed. After reading the results, it became perfectly obvious that South Carolina is a dark red state. On that note, we were amused by a car we saw in the island more than once with a bumper sticker that said "Obozo." I am sure this person thinks the president should be impeached for unspecified crimes against humanity and has insisted for years that he wasn't born in the U.S.
26. I tried boiled peanuts for the first time. The person at the stand was nice enough to let me sample a couple before I got a $5 bag of them. Basically, peanuts are boiled in a brine rather than roasted. They are soft, and the consistency reminded me of chick peas or pinto beans. Although I wasn't repulsed by them, I didn't want a whole bag. I think the guy at the stand put it best when he said "It's a Southern thing." At least I can say I tried them.
26. We ate at a Burger King twice during our travels - two times too many. It's worth paying the extra money to go to Panera, Chipotle, or even to the evangelical zealots at Chick-Fil-A.
27. I avoided Facebook and the Internet while on vacation, instead deciding to read. I even took FB off my phone. I am glad I did this, because I was just getting too angry at everyone. I will use Facebook to keep up with friends and post family pictures and funny things, but I am done with political ranting. This will be difficult, because one particularly moronic meme asked where Obama was after the Dallas shootings. Think about how wrong and stupid that is on so many levels. Anyway, I realize I won't change anyone's votes or opinions no matter how much I bitch and moan. I just have to hope and pray that common sense will prevail when Americans go to the ballot box in November.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Mass shootings and gun control: What can we do?
I wanted to wait a week before ranting about this horrible tragedy. My prayers go out to the victims and their families. One of the victims, Geraldo Jimenez-Ortiz, attended McCaskey High for a few months. Although I didn't know this young man personally when I taught there, my thoughts go out to his family and friends in the Lancaster area.
I wanted to comment on a few things I observed and make a few points.
1. The shooting and the weapons: The shooter used a handgun and a Sig Sauer MCX assault weapon. (not an AR-15 as was originally reported). Semiautomatic assault weapons like the AR-15, and similar weapons made by Kalashnikov and Sig Sauer are lightweight, accurate, and, simply put, are weapons of war specifically designed to maim a lot of people in a short period of time. They were banned from 1994-2004. The ban expired because of lack of action by Congress. Since then, assault weapons have been responsible for scores of civilian killings, including last week's shooting in Orlando, and the massacre in Sandy Hook Elementary a few years ago in which 20 first graders were murdered. There is no reason these assault weapons should be legal and available to civilians.
2. Like the Sith, the NRA and the gun lobby only deal in absolutes. All the NRA and Trump (until recently) have been saying is that Obama and Hillary want to repeal the Second Amendment, and Obama and Hillary want to take our guns. Dead wrong on both counts. First of all, an amendment has only been repealed once. In order to repeal an amendment, you need to create another amendment declaring the previous amendment null and void, which requires a 2/3 vote of Congress, and ratification by 38 of the 50 state legislatures. In other words, this is nearly impossible. Although the Constitution has been amended 27 times (the first ten amendments were passed together as the Bill of Rights), only one amendment repealed a previous amendment. Also, President Obama and Hillary Clinton do believe in people's rights to own a gun for protection, and they won't be knocking on doors any time soon. What they want to do is pass some common sense reforms to make sure guns don't get into the wrong hands, and prevent more mass shootings from taking place. If someone can't get on a plane, they shouldn't be able to own a gun. If someone is suspected of being a terrorist, they shouldn't be able to own a gun. Assault weapons are weapons of war, and shouldn't be owned by civilians. However, the NRA and the gun lobby see any restriction, no matter how minor, as a violation of the Second Amendment and the Constitution, and they are a radical organization that refuses to compromise on anything. I am not going to get into the historical context of the Second Amendment, but George Takei made a great point that none of our rights under the Constitution are absolute. Even the First Amendment, which, as far as I am concerned, grants us the most important rights we have as Americans of free speech and expression, is not absolute. For example, you can't yell "Fire" an a crowded movie theater. You can't make threats. You can't give a speech that incites someone to commit a crime. These are reasonable restrictions, because in these examples, you are infringing on the rights of others. Similarly, the Second Amendment should not be absolute, and I think some reasonable restrictions are appropriate and necessary, and are not, as the NRA says, trampling on our fundamental rights as Americans.
3. Donald Trump could not possibly have done a worse job addressing this shooting. Trump's reaction to this tragedy only further underscores how this egotistical, mean-spirited person is unfit to be president. The role of the president after a tragedy like this is to become the consoler-in-chief, bring the country together, and help everyone get through this. President Obama and Hillary Clinton did exactly that. Trump, on the other hand, because the shooter happened to be Muslim, used the deaths of 49 people to further his political agenda, and reaffirm the preposterous argument that we should block Muslims from entering the U.S. First of all, this wouldn't help, because the shooter was born in New York City. Secondly, he was stressing that this person was an Islamic radical. None of Trump's base believes this, but it was determined that this person acted on his own, and became radicalized through Islamic propaganda on the Internet. My personal take is radical Islam may have been part of it, or only just an excuse to carry out this act, but the bottom line is this was a deranged man, and he committed this horrific act because he was a self-loathing homosexual, and killing 49 people was the best way to take out his frustrations (here is an interesting and depressing article on the shooter's background). Banning Muslims and deporting illegal immigrants will not stop mass shootings from happening, nor will it stop acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. Of course, what Trump says, no matter how outrageous, he will still retain the support of his base which consists of white supremacists, racists, Islamophobes, assholes, people who think Obama should be impeached for god knows what even though he has fewer than 8 months in office, idiot "birthers" who think Obama wasn't born in this country (who should have been paying attention to Ted Cruz's upbringing), people who think Hillary should be arrested, and even some well-meaning people who are fed up with politics as usual and want to see a change (Trust me folks, this is not the change you want). This latest blunder has turned a lot of independents and even some Republicans against him, but November is still a long way away, many people still consider Hillary Clinton to be a weak candidate, and it would be in the best interest of Americans to continue to do anything in their power to make sure Trump does not become president.
4. We are finally seeing some movement in Congress on the gun issue. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut (home of the Sandy Hook massacre), decided to launch a filibuster, and halt any Senate activity until they agreed to vote on gun control. Nearly 15 hours later, they agreed to vote on Monday (6/20) on banning people on the no-fly list and terror watch list from purchasing a gun. These measures will likely fail (update: they all failed), but at least some discussion is being generated. Even some Republican senators, like Pennsylvania's own Pat Toomey, are willing to cross the aisle and vote for certain proposals, like the compromise currently being authored by Republican Senator Susan Collins. Even Trump expressed a desire to talk to the NRA, who are endorsing him, and tell them that he doesn't agree with all of their positions. First of all, unlike that colossal douchebag Ted Cruz, Sen. Murphy filibustered for the good of the country, and not to make himself look good. Sen. Murphy is a young, idealistic politician, and he needs to move up the ranks and become one of the leaders in the Senate, and phase out wastes of space like Harry Reid, who has been in the Senate since the Reagan Administration, and has done exactly squat to help Obama. Maybe, if he proves himself and gets his name out there, he, along with some other young, ambitions politicians like Republican Ben Sasse, could even run for president in 2024. (Or 2020, if Trump wins and the world doesn't end). The sit-in by members of the House also shows how fed up some of our lawmakers are with the complete lack of action on gun control.
5. What happens next? As I said earlier, the proposals up for vote Monday will likely fail. More mass shootings will happen, and the cycle will start all over again. It is up to the American people at the ballot box if they want anything to happen. They need to know which politicians are in the NRA's pocket and either vote them out, or prevent them from getting voted in. The vote on Monday will be very telling as to who stands where. This would mean voting out some longtime representatives and senators like Tom Coburn (Oklahoma) and Pennsylvania's own Jim Gerlach, who are in the pocket of the NRA bigwigs. That is the only way to stop the NRA and the gun lobby. Also, lobbying groups on the other side of the issue, like Everytown for Gun Safety, are beginning to galvanize people and gain power. The majority of Americans want stricter gun control, and we need to elect officials that share our views, and refuse to be bullied by the NRA.
6. Parting thoughts: The ministers who said that the victims were sodomites who deserved to die are not real Christians. Also, the people who are moaning and groaning about the "bathroom bills," (I am looking at you, "Christian" conservatives), need to keep their mouths shut and realize we have bigger problems in this country. Real Christians need to pray for the victims and their families, and take action to try and prevent tragedies like this from becoming common occurrences.
I wanted to comment on a few things I observed and make a few points.
1. The shooting and the weapons: The shooter used a handgun and a Sig Sauer MCX assault weapon. (not an AR-15 as was originally reported). Semiautomatic assault weapons like the AR-15, and similar weapons made by Kalashnikov and Sig Sauer are lightweight, accurate, and, simply put, are weapons of war specifically designed to maim a lot of people in a short period of time. They were banned from 1994-2004. The ban expired because of lack of action by Congress. Since then, assault weapons have been responsible for scores of civilian killings, including last week's shooting in Orlando, and the massacre in Sandy Hook Elementary a few years ago in which 20 first graders were murdered. There is no reason these assault weapons should be legal and available to civilians.
2. Like the Sith, the NRA and the gun lobby only deal in absolutes. All the NRA and Trump (until recently) have been saying is that Obama and Hillary want to repeal the Second Amendment, and Obama and Hillary want to take our guns. Dead wrong on both counts. First of all, an amendment has only been repealed once. In order to repeal an amendment, you need to create another amendment declaring the previous amendment null and void, which requires a 2/3 vote of Congress, and ratification by 38 of the 50 state legislatures. In other words, this is nearly impossible. Although the Constitution has been amended 27 times (the first ten amendments were passed together as the Bill of Rights), only one amendment repealed a previous amendment. Also, President Obama and Hillary Clinton do believe in people's rights to own a gun for protection, and they won't be knocking on doors any time soon. What they want to do is pass some common sense reforms to make sure guns don't get into the wrong hands, and prevent more mass shootings from taking place. If someone can't get on a plane, they shouldn't be able to own a gun. If someone is suspected of being a terrorist, they shouldn't be able to own a gun. Assault weapons are weapons of war, and shouldn't be owned by civilians. However, the NRA and the gun lobby see any restriction, no matter how minor, as a violation of the Second Amendment and the Constitution, and they are a radical organization that refuses to compromise on anything. I am not going to get into the historical context of the Second Amendment, but George Takei made a great point that none of our rights under the Constitution are absolute. Even the First Amendment, which, as far as I am concerned, grants us the most important rights we have as Americans of free speech and expression, is not absolute. For example, you can't yell "Fire" an a crowded movie theater. You can't make threats. You can't give a speech that incites someone to commit a crime. These are reasonable restrictions, because in these examples, you are infringing on the rights of others. Similarly, the Second Amendment should not be absolute, and I think some reasonable restrictions are appropriate and necessary, and are not, as the NRA says, trampling on our fundamental rights as Americans.
3. Donald Trump could not possibly have done a worse job addressing this shooting. Trump's reaction to this tragedy only further underscores how this egotistical, mean-spirited person is unfit to be president. The role of the president after a tragedy like this is to become the consoler-in-chief, bring the country together, and help everyone get through this. President Obama and Hillary Clinton did exactly that. Trump, on the other hand, because the shooter happened to be Muslim, used the deaths of 49 people to further his political agenda, and reaffirm the preposterous argument that we should block Muslims from entering the U.S. First of all, this wouldn't help, because the shooter was born in New York City. Secondly, he was stressing that this person was an Islamic radical. None of Trump's base believes this, but it was determined that this person acted on his own, and became radicalized through Islamic propaganda on the Internet. My personal take is radical Islam may have been part of it, or only just an excuse to carry out this act, but the bottom line is this was a deranged man, and he committed this horrific act because he was a self-loathing homosexual, and killing 49 people was the best way to take out his frustrations (here is an interesting and depressing article on the shooter's background). Banning Muslims and deporting illegal immigrants will not stop mass shootings from happening, nor will it stop acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. Of course, what Trump says, no matter how outrageous, he will still retain the support of his base which consists of white supremacists, racists, Islamophobes, assholes, people who think Obama should be impeached for god knows what even though he has fewer than 8 months in office, idiot "birthers" who think Obama wasn't born in this country (who should have been paying attention to Ted Cruz's upbringing), people who think Hillary should be arrested, and even some well-meaning people who are fed up with politics as usual and want to see a change (Trust me folks, this is not the change you want). This latest blunder has turned a lot of independents and even some Republicans against him, but November is still a long way away, many people still consider Hillary Clinton to be a weak candidate, and it would be in the best interest of Americans to continue to do anything in their power to make sure Trump does not become president.
4. We are finally seeing some movement in Congress on the gun issue. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut (home of the Sandy Hook massacre), decided to launch a filibuster, and halt any Senate activity until they agreed to vote on gun control. Nearly 15 hours later, they agreed to vote on Monday (6/20) on banning people on the no-fly list and terror watch list from purchasing a gun. These measures will likely fail (update: they all failed), but at least some discussion is being generated. Even some Republican senators, like Pennsylvania's own Pat Toomey, are willing to cross the aisle and vote for certain proposals, like the compromise currently being authored by Republican Senator Susan Collins. Even Trump expressed a desire to talk to the NRA, who are endorsing him, and tell them that he doesn't agree with all of their positions. First of all, unlike that colossal douchebag Ted Cruz, Sen. Murphy filibustered for the good of the country, and not to make himself look good. Sen. Murphy is a young, idealistic politician, and he needs to move up the ranks and become one of the leaders in the Senate, and phase out wastes of space like Harry Reid, who has been in the Senate since the Reagan Administration, and has done exactly squat to help Obama. Maybe, if he proves himself and gets his name out there, he, along with some other young, ambitions politicians like Republican Ben Sasse, could even run for president in 2024. (Or 2020, if Trump wins and the world doesn't end). The sit-in by members of the House also shows how fed up some of our lawmakers are with the complete lack of action on gun control.
5. What happens next? As I said earlier, the proposals up for vote Monday will likely fail. More mass shootings will happen, and the cycle will start all over again. It is up to the American people at the ballot box if they want anything to happen. They need to know which politicians are in the NRA's pocket and either vote them out, or prevent them from getting voted in. The vote on Monday will be very telling as to who stands where. This would mean voting out some longtime representatives and senators like Tom Coburn (Oklahoma) and Pennsylvania's own Jim Gerlach, who are in the pocket of the NRA bigwigs. That is the only way to stop the NRA and the gun lobby. Also, lobbying groups on the other side of the issue, like Everytown for Gun Safety, are beginning to galvanize people and gain power. The majority of Americans want stricter gun control, and we need to elect officials that share our views, and refuse to be bullied by the NRA.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
The top 10... Funniest movie scenes!
All I based this list on were scenes that made me laugh out loud. Most of these scenes were from some of the funniest movies ever made. One scene was even from a movie that wasn't a comedy. I did not put any unintentionally funny scenes on this list, or "so bad they're funny" scenes from movies like "Road House" or "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace." For those of you looking for classic comedy like Buster Keaton or
Charlie Chaplin, I will be honest and say I haven't seen their movies,
although I hear they are very funny. Finally, most of these video clips
are NSFW. In no particular order, here we go.
The sheriff is a n(ding!): Blazing Saddles (1974).
As I mentioned earlier, this is a scene from one of the funniest movies ever made. I could have picked a half-dozen scenes from Mel Brooks' western spoof. The sniveling bad guys, including Hedy, I mean Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman), want to build a railroad, but have to clear out a town to do it. In a movie that could never get made in politically correct 2016, Gov. LePetomane (Brooks) comes up with the idea of sending the town a black sheriff, hoping that the townspeople will abandon the town or hang the sheriff, allowing the state to take over. The sheriff comes to town for the first time. First of all, a man with a telescope is interrupted by chimes as he tells everyone the sheriff is African American (but not in those exact words). He then gets up to speak in front of the shocked townspeople, and, as he gets the governor's proclamation out of his pants, he says "excuse me while I whip this out," and everyone screams. The script, partially written by the late Richard Pryor, is racy and hilarious.
The Rumble: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
First of all, can you believe this movie is 12 years old? Sheesh. In this scene, dimwitted weatherman Brick (Steve Carell) gets the Channel 4 news team lost in one of San Diego's scarier neighborhoods. There they meet their rivals from other San Diego news channels, along with public television (No commercials, no mercy!) and the Spanish language channel (Como estas, bitches!). Things escalate quickly. There were horses, a man on fire, and Brick killed a guy with a trident. This parody of West Side Story, with some surprise cameos, is downright hilarious. They tried to one-up this scene in Anchorman 2, and didn't come close.
The Rabbit and the Holy Hand Grenade: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table must face a fearsome beast who is guarding the grail. It turns out the beast is a rabbit. This isn't just any rabbit though. It decapitates one person, and kills and severely wounds several others. To get rid of this foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent (Yes, I know. I am quoting the movie here), they use the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. To use the Holy Hand Grenade, you must pull the pin, count to three, no more, no less, and release it. Not four, definitely not five, but three. Again, I could have picked any number of uproarious scenes from this movie such as the Black Knight, The Knights Who Say "Nee", and the end of the movie. Even the first scene, when Arthur comes over the hill without a horse banging two coconut shells together, had me laughing for a good minute. (this happened because they couldn't afford horses with the movie's low budget). Still, to this day, my lovely wife just doesn't see the humor in this movie.
The opening credits: Deadpool (2016)
Even before any of Deadpool's famous fourth-wall breaks or pop-culture references ("I'm about to do to you what Limp Biskit did to music in the late 90s" comes to mind), this movie already had me rolling right from the beginning. The credits roll as the camera moves through a chaotic 3-D freeze frame of a car accident, where we see Deadpool teabagging a badguy, and yanking another villain's pants down. However, the credits are obviously written from Deadpool's point of view, because the movie is a film by "some douchebag," and stars "God's perfect idiot," "A hot chick," "A British villain" and "A CGI character," among others. The movie is produced by "asshats" and written by "the real heroes here." This is all set to the tune of Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning." For the record, I am calling this movie a comedy.
The Golf Course Airhorn: Jackass: The Movie (2002)
This movie, with the Jackass guys doing real stupid stunts in real life, was so funny, that even many movie critics liked it despite the complete lack of a plot or script. I wasn't too much of a fan of the gross-out stuff that included bodily functions, but what did make me laugh was the gang harassing uptight golfers. One guy even go so angry that he started to throw a club and hit balls at the Jackass crew. When confronted by the irate duffers, Johnny Knoxville said he couldn't help it because he had bursitis.
MATT DAMON!: Team America: World Police (2004)
This movie, by "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, featured marionettes. Many of these marionettes were impersonated celebrities including Alec Baldwin, Michael Moore, Tim Robbins, and George Clooney. Then, there is Matt Damon. The story is that the marionette of Matt Damon looked so goofy that they decided the only words Matt Damon would say were "Matt Damon!" The real Matt Damon wasn't offended at all, and thought this was hilarious.
The Naked Brawl: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev finds his producer Azamat, well, pleasuring himself to a book featuring Borat's dream girl, Pamela Anderson. The two men, neither of whom are in ideal physical shape, get into a somewhat homoerotic fight without any clothes on. They end up running through a hotel, and into a packed convention ballroom where the two naked men are finally subdued by police. You can't really appreciate this scene until you see it.
The Baby Ruth bar: Caddyshack (1980)
At the Bushwood Country Club pool, someone throws a Baby Ruth chocolate bar in the water. Most people think it's something much more disgusting, and the pool clears out quickly. The capper to this scene is when dimwitted greenskeeper Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) cleans out the pool, finds the candy bar and eats it while everyone else is revolted. This classic scene was based on a real incident at the high school of writer-actor Brian Doyle-Murray.
Pow!: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Here's the non-comedy I was talking about before. In this brief, but hilarious scene, Indiana Jones is confronted by a swordsman who is swinging his blade in all directions, ready for a fight. Indiana Jones pulls out a gun and shoots him. Some of you know the story, but I am going to tell it anyway. Much of the cast and crew, including star Harrison Ford, were stricken with dysentery while on the set. This was supposed to be an elaborate sword fight, but Ford was so sick, he said to director Steven Spielberg, "What if I just shoot the guy?" The rest, as they say, is history.
Enrico Pallazzo: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
A player under the influence of mind control is planning to shoot the Queen of England at an Angels game. Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) needs to get on the field and foil the assassin. To get on the field, he knocks out world famous opera singer Enrico Pallazzo. He then butchers the Star-Spangled Banner, calls the game as an umpire, and eventually saves the queen's life. There's a great payoff when Frank Drebin takes off his mask after saving the queen, and someone in the crowd yells, "Hey! It's Enrico Pallazzo!" and the crowd starts chanting his name.
The sheriff is a n(ding!): Blazing Saddles (1974).
The Rumble: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
The Rabbit and the Holy Hand Grenade: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table must face a fearsome beast who is guarding the grail. It turns out the beast is a rabbit. This isn't just any rabbit though. It decapitates one person, and kills and severely wounds several others. To get rid of this foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent (Yes, I know. I am quoting the movie here), they use the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. To use the Holy Hand Grenade, you must pull the pin, count to three, no more, no less, and release it. Not four, definitely not five, but three. Again, I could have picked any number of uproarious scenes from this movie such as the Black Knight, The Knights Who Say "Nee", and the end of the movie. Even the first scene, when Arthur comes over the hill without a horse banging two coconut shells together, had me laughing for a good minute. (this happened because they couldn't afford horses with the movie's low budget). Still, to this day, my lovely wife just doesn't see the humor in this movie.
The opening credits: Deadpool (2016)
Even before any of Deadpool's famous fourth-wall breaks or pop-culture references ("I'm about to do to you what Limp Biskit did to music in the late 90s" comes to mind), this movie already had me rolling right from the beginning. The credits roll as the camera moves through a chaotic 3-D freeze frame of a car accident, where we see Deadpool teabagging a badguy, and yanking another villain's pants down. However, the credits are obviously written from Deadpool's point of view, because the movie is a film by "some douchebag," and stars "God's perfect idiot," "A hot chick," "A British villain" and "A CGI character," among others. The movie is produced by "asshats" and written by "the real heroes here." This is all set to the tune of Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning." For the record, I am calling this movie a comedy.
The Golf Course Airhorn: Jackass: The Movie (2002)
This movie, with the Jackass guys doing real stupid stunts in real life, was so funny, that even many movie critics liked it despite the complete lack of a plot or script. I wasn't too much of a fan of the gross-out stuff that included bodily functions, but what did make me laugh was the gang harassing uptight golfers. One guy even go so angry that he started to throw a club and hit balls at the Jackass crew. When confronted by the irate duffers, Johnny Knoxville said he couldn't help it because he had bursitis.
MATT DAMON!: Team America: World Police (2004)
This movie, by "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, featured marionettes. Many of these marionettes were impersonated celebrities including Alec Baldwin, Michael Moore, Tim Robbins, and George Clooney. Then, there is Matt Damon. The story is that the marionette of Matt Damon looked so goofy that they decided the only words Matt Damon would say were "Matt Damon!" The real Matt Damon wasn't offended at all, and thought this was hilarious.
The Naked Brawl: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev finds his producer Azamat, well, pleasuring himself to a book featuring Borat's dream girl, Pamela Anderson. The two men, neither of whom are in ideal physical shape, get into a somewhat homoerotic fight without any clothes on. They end up running through a hotel, and into a packed convention ballroom where the two naked men are finally subdued by police. You can't really appreciate this scene until you see it.
The Baby Ruth bar: Caddyshack (1980)
At the Bushwood Country Club pool, someone throws a Baby Ruth chocolate bar in the water. Most people think it's something much more disgusting, and the pool clears out quickly. The capper to this scene is when dimwitted greenskeeper Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) cleans out the pool, finds the candy bar and eats it while everyone else is revolted. This classic scene was based on a real incident at the high school of writer-actor Brian Doyle-Murray.
Pow!: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Here's the non-comedy I was talking about before. In this brief, but hilarious scene, Indiana Jones is confronted by a swordsman who is swinging his blade in all directions, ready for a fight. Indiana Jones pulls out a gun and shoots him. Some of you know the story, but I am going to tell it anyway. Much of the cast and crew, including star Harrison Ford, were stricken with dysentery while on the set. This was supposed to be an elaborate sword fight, but Ford was so sick, he said to director Steven Spielberg, "What if I just shoot the guy?" The rest, as they say, is history.
Enrico Pallazzo: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
A player under the influence of mind control is planning to shoot the Queen of England at an Angels game. Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) needs to get on the field and foil the assassin. To get on the field, he knocks out world famous opera singer Enrico Pallazzo. He then butchers the Star-Spangled Banner, calls the game as an umpire, and eventually saves the queen's life. There's a great payoff when Frank Drebin takes off his mask after saving the queen, and someone in the crowd yells, "Hey! It's Enrico Pallazzo!" and the crowd starts chanting his name.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Why I'm not voting for Toomey in November
I am really upset about the current state of the Supreme Court. Justice Scalia died unexpectedly in February. One month later, President Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland, an experienced jurist with impeccable credentials. Nearly three months have gone by, and the U.S. Senate has not started the confirmation process. Meanwhile, the high court has deadlocked on several 4-4 decisions.
I am fired up about this because I am a scholar of the Constitution. I used to teach Constitutional law. I believe the Constitution is a living, breathing document, and is deliberately brief, broad and open to interpretation. Also, my senior seminar in college was about the confirmation of Supreme Court justices, so I have thoroughly analyzed this process.
I wrote a letter to Pat Toomey, one of Pennsylvania's senators. Although he met with Judge Garland, he is one of the senators who flatly refuses to begin the confirmation process, because it, according to Toomey and other GOP senators, "doesn't traditionally take place during an election year."
Here is the letter I wrote to Toomey, which outlines my arguments for confirming Judge Garland:
Dear Senator Toomey:
First of all, thank you for your service to the great state of Pennsylvania. I do appreciate your efforts to cut taxes and cooperate with your colleagues in the Democratic Party in an attempt to strengthen background checks for firearms.
The reason I am writing today is because of Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court.
Justice Scalia, although I personally did not agree with many of his decisions or beliefs, was a highly skilled and qualified jurist with an impeccable knowledge of the Constitution and the laws of our country. His unexpected death was not only tragic, but also a major setback to the Court.
According to the Constitution, it is the President’s duty to nominate justices to the Supreme Court, with the advice and consent of the Senate. President Obama has nominated Judge Garland, who, by all accounts, is an experienced judge who, like Justice Scalia, has a great deal of knowledge and respect for the Constitution and the laws of our country.
I believe the founding fathers did leave some room for interpretation throughout the Constitution. However, I believe the “advice and consent” clause in Article II states that the process of appointing Supreme Court nominees should happen with due diligence. President Obama nominated Judge Garland about a month after Justice Scalia’s death.
Unfortunately, unlike the president, you and your colleagues in the Senate have not performed your function as defined by the Constitution. Two months have gone by, and confirmation hearings have not been scheduled for Judge Garland. As a matter of fact, you and several other Republicans in the Senate refuse to even consider a confirmation hearing for Judge Garland, unless he is nominated by President Obama’s successor after the presidential election. Meanwhile, several important cases are passing through the Supreme Court as deadlocked 4-4 decisions.
I did read the editorial you wrote for The Patriot News describing your position. I appreciate that you took the time to speak with Judge Garland. However, I believe many of your arguments are flawed. First of all, you say: “...I believe it is sensible to allow the American people to participate in the choice of Justice Scalia's successor less than seven months from now.”
First of all, the American people have participated in the choice of Justice Scalia’s successor. The American people voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012 knowing one of his functions as president is to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court as they arise. Furthermore, according to polls, the majority of voters believe that Judge Garland be granted a fair hearing.
You, along with Senator McConnell, Senator Grassley, and many other Republicans in the Senate, are deliberately delaying this process as a political ploy to not only deliberately thwart the President one last time before he leaves office, but also assume a Republican will win the presidency in November and nominate a different judge, especially because your colleagues mentioned that you would consider Judge Garland after the election.
You also mention the political ramifications of Judge Garland sitting on the Court, such as his tendency to side with the EPA, which could hurt our state’s energy production.
It is for this reason that you should allow this process to proceed, and give Judge Garland a chance to speak in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If you don’t like what he has to say and don’t think he is qualified to sit on the Court, it is the duty of you and your Senate colleagues to reject his nomination. It has been done before with Judge Robert Bork and others. Harriet Miers withdrew her name after senators began to doubt her qualifications.
All I ask is that you perform your constitutional duty and consider Judge Garland’s nomination. I will support the decision of the Senate, whether he is approved or denied.
I will promise that you will earn my vote in November if you and your colleagues in the Senate begin the confirmation process for Judge Garland. I only have one vote, but I think this will be a very close election, and every single vote counts. Again, I will support your decision regardless of the outcome. I normally do not vote Republican. I did not vote for you in 2010, and until now, I was not planning to vote for you in this upcoming election. However, nothing is more important to me as an American than leaders who support, uphold and respect the Constitution. It is vital that the Supreme Court be made whole again, and, as a fellow proud Pennsylvanian, I am counting on you and your Senate colleagues to do exactly that.
Sincerely,
Colin Tucker
I sent this letter about two weeks ago. I received a response a couple of days ago. Although I think he sent this response to many different people who addressed concerns about the same issue, the email was addressed to me and signed. Considering he serves the entire state of Pennsylvania and its 13 million people, I genuinely appreciate the quick response. What I didn't appreciate were the contents of the response, which gave the same tired GOP arguments, and addressed none of my counterarguments. I will copy his response here, and rip it apart paragraph by paragraph.
Dear Colin,
Thank you for contacting me about the Supreme Court. I appreciate hearing from you.
As you
know, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away on February 13,
2016, and President Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland about a month
later to fill this vacancy on our nation's highest court. There has been
much discussion about how the nomination process for this vacancy
should be addressed, and I value your input and wanted to take the
opportunity to respond.
OK, so far, so good.
I have
long believed that objective qualifications, character, and adherence to
the rule of law matter more than ideology in evaluating judicial
nominees. Accordingly, during my five years in the Senate, I have worked
across the aisle with Senator Bob Casey and the Obama White House to
fill 16 vacancies on the federal bench in Pennsylvania-14 on district
courts and 2 on the court of appeals. Only 2 other states-California and
New York-have had more vacancies filled during this time. I also have
voted to confirm over 100 of President Obama's judicial nominees, and I
supported the confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme
Court.
He deserves a cookie!
The
current vacancy on the Supreme Court, however, presents an unusual
situation. In the final year of a presidency, it is extremely rare for
vacancies that arise on the Supreme Court to be filled. In fact, the
last time such a vacancy was filled was 1932. The vacancy created by
Justice Scalia's passing is especially sensitive because it will
fundamentally affect the balance of the Supreme Court for a generation
or more.
Dead wrong. Justice Anthony Kennedy was confirmed in February 1988, an election year. Granted, this was after the Senate rejected Robert Bork's confirmation for obvious reasons, and Douglas Ginsburg withdrew his nomination because he was a pothead. Also, doesn't any Supreme Court vacancy fundamentally affect the balance of the Court for a generation or more?
Given
that we are already well into the presidential election process and that
the Supreme Court appointment is for a lifetime, it makes sense to give
the American people a more direct say in this critical decision. I
believe that the next court appointment should be made after the
upcoming elections by the next president.
First of all, as I mentioned in my letter, the American people did have a say. They elected President Obama in 2008 and 2012 knowing that one of his duties as president was to nominate Supreme Court justices. Also, the Constitution is deliberately set up so that people do not directly choose the members of the Judicial Branch. Unlike the President and Congress, I believe the Founding Fathers viewed the justices as being "above" politics, and should therefore not be chosen in a conventional political process. I think the judicial election process in Pennsylvania and other states is fraught with problems, and exemplifies why voters shouldn't elect judges.
On
March 12, 2016, I also met with Judge Garland for over an hour. He came
across as a pleasant man with impressive legal training and experience,
but areas of Judge Garland's record give me pause and our discussion did
not assuage these concerns.
Okay, but should this prevent you from even beginning the confirmation process? (see more below)
Under
our Constitution's system of checks and balances, federal courts play an
essential role in limiting executive abuses of power and stopping
unlawful overregulation that is harming Pennsylvania's economy and
killing jobs. But Judge Garland's record raises serious doubts that he
would serve as an adequate, independent legal check on the
administration and its regulators.
For
instance, Judge Garland has ruled on dozens of cases involving
challenges to new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, and
he has sided with the agency over 90% of the time. One of the handful
of times the nominee ruled against the EPA, he ruled that it was not
regulating enough.
I tried
to discuss with Judge Garland his views on executive authority, but he
was often unresponsive-unwilling to discuss one of his own decisions,
and refusing to opine on historic Supreme Court precedents.
So you don't like the guy. This is exactly why we have the confirmation process. If you don't think he is qualified to be a justice, go through the confirmation process and vote against his confirmation!
I also
raised with Judge Garland his approach to terrorist detainee cases. He
authored an opinion that resulted in the release of 17 Guantanamo Bay
prisoners who were part of a group of violent Islamist extremists the
State Department had designated as terrorists. They were captured after
fleeing an Afghanistan training camp funded by al Qaeda and the Taliban.
As a result of Garland's decision, the detainees were ordered released
into the United States. Fortunately, another panel of judges on the D.C.
Circuit halted this, and the detainees were instead released into other
countries.
In sum,
while Judge Garland is highly credentialed, areas of his legal thinking
deeply concern me, particularly his excessive deference to overreaching
agency regulations and his approach to the War on Terror. These
concerns, in addition to my preference for giving the American people a
voice in November about the long-term balance of the Court, lead me to
oppose his nomination at this time.
Again, if you are so concerned about the long-term balance of the court, vote against his confirmation. Judge Garland seems intelligent and experienced. He deserves the change to go before the Judiciary Committee and have his nomination considered. Also, the American people have spoken, and the majority of them, more than 60 percent, say that confirmation hearings for Judge Garland should take place before the election (NBC News poll). Finally, even Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says the frequent 4-4 deadlocks have prevented many important rulings, and said, “Eight, as you know, is not a good number for a multi-member court." (The Washington Post)
Thank you again for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania
This is bad for Republicans, because this election cycle, several Republican senators, including Toomey, face a tough fight in November. There is a possibilty that the Democrats could regain the majority in the Senate.
The arguments the GOP is putting forward are flawed at best, particularly the "election year" nonsense. The real reason is because Scalia was a conservative justice, and Obama's nominee will be quite a bit more liberal, shifting the ideology of the court. (yes, I know in a perfect world, judges don't make political decisions.) This is a political situation, though. When Justice Scalia was alive, there were a lot of 5-4 decisions. Many senators are afraid that if Garland is a confirmed, there will be a lot of 5-4 decisions going to the "left" instead of the "right," and there are supposedly many crucial decisions in the pipeline on LGBT rights and the environment, which Sen. Toomey addressed in the response. Also, because of Judge Garland's experience and track record, the GOP senators believe he will be confirmed, and therefore want to delay this process.
They are betting on a Republican becoming president, and appointing a more conservative judge next year. Keep in mind that if this does take place, Donald Trump will be our president. That is downright scary.
Also, this is done out of revenge. GOP senators have locked horns with Obama for 8 years. They are miffed at him for making 32 recess appointments (appointments of senior federal officials while the Senate is not working). Keep in mind that Ronald Reagan made 240 recess appointments over the course of his two terms. They don't like Obamacare. They don't like the fact that he issued an executive order, which doesn't require a vote from Congress, to prevent illegal immigrants from getting deported. Granted, the GOP has a valid argument against some of these policies/actions, but to block the comfirmation of a Supreme Court Justice out of revenge, and the need to screw Obama over one last time is childish and unproductive.
Finally, I give Judge Garland credit for handling this like the professional who he is. Instead of complaining, he is continuing to make an effort to meet senators from both parties, and develop a rapport with them.
The bottom line: The senators need to fulfill their constitutional duty and begin confirmation hearings for Judge Merrick Garland. I don't care if his confirmation is approved or denied, as long as they allow the confirmation process to continue.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
The state of Trek
After seeing the "trailer" (basically a bunch of groovy images of space and the logo) for the new Star Trek series in January, I thought I would share my $0.02.
First of all, next year, for the first time since 2005, Star Trek is returning to the small screen. This is where Star Trek began 50 years ago, and this is where it belongs. TV was a bit oversaturated with Trek when "Enterprise" made its final voyage, but 11 years have passed. I am ready, and I think the fans are ready.
So far things look good. The series will air on CBS All Access, the network's streaming video service which requires a monthly subscription fee of $7 or so. I wouldn't put it past the greedy bastards at Viacom to hike the price before the series starts in January.
I was also encouraged to hear that Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) is the showrunner and excited to hear that Nicholas Meyer, one of the best writers and creative voices in the history of the franchise, is on the writing team.
Also, the bar is set low, because anything, and I mean anything, has to be better than Enterprise.
The rumor mill is also saying the new series will be an anthology show of sorts, with a new setting and storyline each season. This is also a great idea, because it keeps things fresh. On the other hand, it could be a liability because you don't get to know the characters as well, and the show will lack the iconic characters like Spock, Data and Picard.
I was brainstorming the possibilities of an anthology show... Although they should probably start with a conventional starship setting like TOS or Voyager, the possibilities are endless. They could set an entire season at Starfleet Academy. They could have an entire season aboard a Klingon or Romulan ship. They could have a buddy sitcom starring Data and Geordi. Okay, forget about that last one.
First of all, what I do know is the special effects will be top-notch. DS9, Voyager and Enterprise all had movie-caliber special effects, and that was more than a decade ago.
The bottom line: If CBS expects Trek fans to pay for this, the quality has to be there from day one.
Trekkers are one of the most demanding fan bases in pop-culture history, as demonstrated by the backlash against the "Star Trek: Beyond" trailer which came out earlier this year. The second trailer looked a little better, but I still have my reservations about whether this will be true Trek, or just another special effects-laden light show.
Anyway, I digress. Although TNG developed into one of the best shows on television, "Encounter At Farpoint," the series' first episode, was hokey, poorly paced, kind of cheesy, and the acting was inconsistent. TNG didn't hit its stride until the third season and very well might have been cancelled if it was on a major network instead of syndication. Enterprise was doomed from the beginning, thanks in part to that cringe-inducing theme song (no link, find it yourself, if you dare). Since they need to knock one out of the park on the first episode if they expect people to pay to watch this show, here is a list of do's and don'ts for this new series, with some lessons learned from Trek series past.
Do:
First of all, next year, for the first time since 2005, Star Trek is returning to the small screen. This is where Star Trek began 50 years ago, and this is where it belongs. TV was a bit oversaturated with Trek when "Enterprise" made its final voyage, but 11 years have passed. I am ready, and I think the fans are ready.
So far things look good. The series will air on CBS All Access, the network's streaming video service which requires a monthly subscription fee of $7 or so. I wouldn't put it past the greedy bastards at Viacom to hike the price before the series starts in January.
I was also encouraged to hear that Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) is the showrunner and excited to hear that Nicholas Meyer, one of the best writers and creative voices in the history of the franchise, is on the writing team.
Also, the bar is set low, because anything, and I mean anything, has to be better than Enterprise.
The rumor mill is also saying the new series will be an anthology show of sorts, with a new setting and storyline each season. This is also a great idea, because it keeps things fresh. On the other hand, it could be a liability because you don't get to know the characters as well, and the show will lack the iconic characters like Spock, Data and Picard.
I was brainstorming the possibilities of an anthology show... Although they should probably start with a conventional starship setting like TOS or Voyager, the possibilities are endless. They could set an entire season at Starfleet Academy. They could have an entire season aboard a Klingon or Romulan ship. They could have a buddy sitcom starring Data and Geordi. Okay, forget about that last one.
First of all, what I do know is the special effects will be top-notch. DS9, Voyager and Enterprise all had movie-caliber special effects, and that was more than a decade ago.
The bottom line: If CBS expects Trek fans to pay for this, the quality has to be there from day one.
Trekkers are one of the most demanding fan bases in pop-culture history, as demonstrated by the backlash against the "Star Trek: Beyond" trailer which came out earlier this year. The second trailer looked a little better, but I still have my reservations about whether this will be true Trek, or just another special effects-laden light show.
Anyway, I digress. Although TNG developed into one of the best shows on television, "Encounter At Farpoint," the series' first episode, was hokey, poorly paced, kind of cheesy, and the acting was inconsistent. TNG didn't hit its stride until the third season and very well might have been cancelled if it was on a major network instead of syndication. Enterprise was doomed from the beginning, thanks in part to that cringe-inducing theme song (no link, find it yourself, if you dare). Since they need to knock one out of the park on the first episode if they expect people to pay to watch this show, here is a list of do's and don'ts for this new series, with some lessons learned from Trek series past.
Do:
- Have a theme song played by an orchestra. I am again referring to Enterprise. Begin with the nine-note fanfare so everyone knows this is Star Trek.
- Because this is not on a network, have shorter seasons (13-16 episodes) and use serialized storytelling. Hitting the reset button at the end of every episode won't fly anymore.
- With shorter seasons, avoid filler episodes, and "alien of the week" episodes.
- Hire good actors. They don't necessarily need to be well-known, just experienced. See Stewart, Patrick.
- Bring back familiar characters sparingly to provide a sense of continuity.
- Use humor when it's appropriate so the show doesn't get too serious, but don't overdo it. Use the episodes featuring Q as an example.
- Have a ship's counselor. Ever. That was the 1980s thing to do when TNG started, and it should stay in the 1980s.
- Overuse the holodeck to the point where it becomes a crutch for the writers.
- Hire an actor for no reason other than the fact that he/she is attractive, even though he/she can't act his/her way out of a paper bag. See Blalock, Jolene.
- Feature any Ferengi in an episode unless you have a really good reason to do so.
- Portray Vulcans as emotionless robots. See Russ, Tim. Vulcans may suppress their emotions, but do have them. Spock often displayed emotion in subtle ways, like the famous eyebrow raise.
- Gratuitously use sex and violence for no reason other than to make the show more "edgy." Yes, I'm looking at you again, Enterprise.
- Hire Rick Berman to do anything. The farther away he stays from this, the better.
Update: Showrunner Bryan Fuller says the show will run for 13 episodes, and it will be like a 13-chapter novel. In other words, no episodic storytelling. He hinted at multiple crews. These are all good things. Also, I will have to see this one to believe it, but rumors are circulating that Nathan Fillion ended his commitment to "Castle" so he could be on this show.
Now, on to the ship itself, which was unveiled. As the article says, it looks an awful lot like the Ralph McQuarrie concept drawing. Also, I think it looks like a Federation ship mated with a Klingon Battlecruiser. Could this ship be a Federation-Klingon collaboration if they are allies post Star Trek VI? Who knows? Finally, this ship isn't as sleek as those on the newer series like the Enterprise-D, the Voyager and the Defiant. Although Fuller denies it, I am guessing from the design and the ship's registry number (NCC-1031) that this show takes place sometime between Star Trek VI and The Next Generation, a span of about 80 years. Of course, the fans are moaning and groaning about the ship, because that is what they like to do.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
I saw Deadpool, finally.
Since I am a parent of two young children, and the closest movie theater is about a 30-minute drive, my most recent trips to the movies have been to see children's fare like "Inside Out" and "Minions." (Although we did sneak in some time to see "Star Wars: The Remix" and "Mockingjay: We made two padded-out movies out of one book").
Still, most of the movies I really want to see end up being on demand or on Netflix. I rented Deadpool on demand.
I had a good feeling coming into this, because it was marketed well, and looked like it would be a lot of fun. Audiences agreed, because it made a whopping $750-plus million internationally. It was the highest grossing R-Rated movie ever, and surpassed many other superhero/comic book movies like "Guardians of the Galaxy," both "Amazing Spider-Man" movies (the ones with Andrew Garfield), "Iron Man" 1 and 2, "Man of Steel," "Batman v. Superman," and every other "X-Men" movie. This was on a modest $58 million budget, which is about 1/3 the cost of most effects-heavy entries in this genre. Granted, some of the CGI effects looked like CGI, and lacked the refinement of the pricier superhero movies, but the filmmakers managed to make Colossus, a CGI character, look great.
Just to point out, his is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the Avengers et. al.). This is technically a spinoff of the X-Men movies.
First of all, what a riot! Deadpool's frequent breaking of the fourth wall and vulgar sense of humor worked perfectly here, as did the bloody violence. Ryan Reynolds was a perfect fit for this part, kind of like how Robert Downey Jr. seemed like he was born to play Tony Stark/Iron Man.
The movie knew exactly what it wanted to be. It took itself seriously enough so it didn't become an all-out farce, but wasn't too serious. The tone was set from the hilarious opening credits: "Starring God's Perfect Idiot, A Hot Chick, A British Villain, A CGI Character... Produced by Asshats, Written by The Real Heroes Here..." you get the point. This is set to a freeze-frame of a car full of bad guys wrecking (and Deadpool tea bagging a bad guy) as Juice Newton's "Angel in the Morning" plays. In otherwords, I was already laughing uncontrollably 30 seconds into the film. I would have loved to hear how a packed theater reacted to this opening.
This was not a perfect movie, but it was pretty damn good and really entertaining. Looking past the off-color humor, fourth wall breaks and graphic violence, the story is, for the most part, a standard-issue superhero origin/revenge tale. It is the humor and Reynolds' performance, however, that make this movie particularly memorable, and made this movie the success that it is. My wife enjoyed this movie somewhat, but said it was a bit too crude for her tastes. In her defense, it was awfully violent and very offensive.
A unnamed movie industry executive said he loved this film's willingness to make fun of itself. "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn rightfully ripped this person a new one. I tend to agree with Gunn, who said "Guardians," the "Iron Man" movies and "Ant-Man" all shared a humorous, self-deprecating tone, and "Deadpool" succeeded on its own merits thanks to good performances and good writing.
Also, I worry a little about the film's success relative to its R rating. I am fearful that stupid Hollywood execs, like the one above, might add gratuitous sex and violence to comic book/superhero movies for no particular reason other than the fact that R rated movies can make a lot of money. This is a dumb idea. It works for Deadpool, because the comic book character is also very sick and twisted, and has a filthy mouth. The next Wolverine film will be rated R. I am OK with Wolverine being rated R as well, because, well, 12-inch blades protrude from his hand. However, there is no reason for Superman, Iron Man or Captain America movies to be rated R, because the more mainstream comic books are not overly violent or profane.
Finally, as Deadpool revealed in the hilarious end credits that spoofed Ferris Buehler's Day Off, Cable will be in the next movie. The rumor mill says Dolph Lundgren will be cast in this role. I am not too familiar with the character, but he looks the part physically, and I don't object to the casting of Lundgren in anything. I also hope they bring back Colossus and Nega, who were both great supporting characters.
Basically, anyone who enjoys the comic book/superhero genre should definitely check this out. I am looking forward to the sequel.
Still, most of the movies I really want to see end up being on demand or on Netflix. I rented Deadpool on demand.
I had a good feeling coming into this, because it was marketed well, and looked like it would be a lot of fun. Audiences agreed, because it made a whopping $750-plus million internationally. It was the highest grossing R-Rated movie ever, and surpassed many other superhero/comic book movies like "Guardians of the Galaxy," both "Amazing Spider-Man" movies (the ones with Andrew Garfield), "Iron Man" 1 and 2, "Man of Steel," "Batman v. Superman," and every other "X-Men" movie. This was on a modest $58 million budget, which is about 1/3 the cost of most effects-heavy entries in this genre. Granted, some of the CGI effects looked like CGI, and lacked the refinement of the pricier superhero movies, but the filmmakers managed to make Colossus, a CGI character, look great.
Just to point out, his is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the Avengers et. al.). This is technically a spinoff of the X-Men movies.
First of all, what a riot! Deadpool's frequent breaking of the fourth wall and vulgar sense of humor worked perfectly here, as did the bloody violence. Ryan Reynolds was a perfect fit for this part, kind of like how Robert Downey Jr. seemed like he was born to play Tony Stark/Iron Man.
The movie knew exactly what it wanted to be. It took itself seriously enough so it didn't become an all-out farce, but wasn't too serious. The tone was set from the hilarious opening credits: "Starring God's Perfect Idiot, A Hot Chick, A British Villain, A CGI Character... Produced by Asshats, Written by The Real Heroes Here..." you get the point. This is set to a freeze-frame of a car full of bad guys wrecking (and Deadpool tea bagging a bad guy) as Juice Newton's "Angel in the Morning" plays. In otherwords, I was already laughing uncontrollably 30 seconds into the film. I would have loved to hear how a packed theater reacted to this opening.
This was not a perfect movie, but it was pretty damn good and really entertaining. Looking past the off-color humor, fourth wall breaks and graphic violence, the story is, for the most part, a standard-issue superhero origin/revenge tale. It is the humor and Reynolds' performance, however, that make this movie particularly memorable, and made this movie the success that it is. My wife enjoyed this movie somewhat, but said it was a bit too crude for her tastes. In her defense, it was awfully violent and very offensive.
A unnamed movie industry executive said he loved this film's willingness to make fun of itself. "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn rightfully ripped this person a new one. I tend to agree with Gunn, who said "Guardians," the "Iron Man" movies and "Ant-Man" all shared a humorous, self-deprecating tone, and "Deadpool" succeeded on its own merits thanks to good performances and good writing.
Also, I worry a little about the film's success relative to its R rating. I am fearful that stupid Hollywood execs, like the one above, might add gratuitous sex and violence to comic book/superhero movies for no particular reason other than the fact that R rated movies can make a lot of money. This is a dumb idea. It works for Deadpool, because the comic book character is also very sick and twisted, and has a filthy mouth. The next Wolverine film will be rated R. I am OK with Wolverine being rated R as well, because, well, 12-inch blades protrude from his hand. However, there is no reason for Superman, Iron Man or Captain America movies to be rated R, because the more mainstream comic books are not overly violent or profane.
Finally, as Deadpool revealed in the hilarious end credits that spoofed Ferris Buehler's Day Off, Cable will be in the next movie. The rumor mill says Dolph Lundgren will be cast in this role. I am not too familiar with the character, but he looks the part physically, and I don't object to the casting of Lundgren in anything. I also hope they bring back Colossus and Nega, who were both great supporting characters.
Basically, anyone who enjoys the comic book/superhero genre should definitely check this out. I am looking forward to the sequel.
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