Music, Movies, and More

The Who's Who Of Jim 'n' Dee Songs

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:50:00 GMT

A few days ago I bought a CD by Johnny Rivers And His L.A. Boogie Band called “Last Boogie In Paris.” It’s a live album recorded in 1974. Boy can this guy rock. I had to see who played on the album. While looking at the credits I noticed that four of the seven band members were guys who have recorded songs written by Dee and I. I Knoooow! How cool. So I went and pulled out some old vinyl, (for those of you too young to remember, that was a form of delivering music way back in the 20th century). Ones with some of our songs on them. I looked at the credits on those albums to see who had recorded some our songs. I’m shocked and amazed. Some of them were from the small group of musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.

Here’s a list with a bit of info I found on the ‘Net about The Wrecking Crew and some of the others.

The Wrecking Crew was a nickname coined by the drummer Hal Blaine after the fact for a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, and were one of the most successful "groups" of studio musicians in music history.
The Wrecking Crew's members typically had backgrounds in jazz or classical music, but were highly versatile. The talents of this group of 'first call' players were used on almost every style of recording, including television theme songs, film scores, advertising jingles, and almost every genre of American popular music, from The Monkees to Bing Crosby.

The figures most often associated with the Wrecking Crew are producer Phil Spector (who used the Crew to create his trademark "Wall of Sound"), and Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, who used the Crew's talents on many of his mid-60s productions including the songs "Good Vibrations", "California Girls", the acclaimed album Pet Sounds, and the original recordings for Smile.

The Wrecking Crew were inducted into the Musicians Hall Of Fame on November 26, 2007.

Al Perkins is a Texas-born American guitarist. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential Dobro player", and even began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2001 - designed and autographed by Perkins.

After some time in the US Army, Perkins moved to California where he began playing with the band Shiloh. He went on to record and tour with The Flying Burrito Brothers, Richie Furay, Dan Fogelberg, Stephen Stills, Leonard Cohen, Gram Parsons, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Daniel Amos, The Rolling Stones, Joe Walsh, Michael Nesmith, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Debby Boone, Tori Amos, The Eagles, Bethlehem, and McGuinn and Hillman. In 1971, Perkins became a member of Steven Stills band, Manassas.

Perkins began producing records in the mid 1970s. [He played on and produced a record for Sparrow Records which Dee and I recorded in 1976. Unfortunately, the album, “Help Is On the Way,” was never released. All that remains is a poorly recorded cassette tape of a rough mix without the finished vocals which we have considered making available but haven’t, yet.]

In the 1980s, Perkins joined Chris Hillman in the Desert Rose Band. Perkins started touring with Dolly Parton in 1986. Also that year, Perkins played Dobro on Bob Dylan's Knocked Out Loaded. In 1988, Perkins moved to Nashville, and the following year, he joined Emmylou Harris' new Grammy Award winning group, The Nash Ramblers, with whom he released the album Snapshots.

By the mid 1990s, Perkins began to work almost exclusively as a record producer and session guitarist, recording with artists like Tori Amos (From the Choirgirl Hotel), Owen Temple, Garth Brooks (Sevens), Wynonna Judd, Buddy Miller, and Cher.

In 2003, Perkins joined forces with Terry Talbot and other original members Bruce “Creeper” Kurnow and Tim Ayres to resurrect the country rock band Mason Proffit.

Barry McGuire is an American singer-songwriter best known for the hit song "Eve of Destruction", and later as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian Music.

In 1963, McGuire along with Randy Sparks (the founder of The New Christy Minstrels) co-wrote, and sang lead vocal on, the Christys' first and biggest hit single: "Green, Green." He left the Christys in January, 1965, after recording the album, Cowboys and Indians.

As a folk rock solo singer in the 1960s, he was best known for his hit "Eve of Destruction" which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. McGuire's LP, The Eve of Destruction, reached its peak of #37 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart during the week ending 25 September 1965. That same day the single of that name went to #1 on both charts.

McGuire is mentioned several times in The Mamas & the Papas hit, "Creeque Alley." Frank Zappa wrote McGuire's name in the sleeve of his Freak Out! album (1966) as one of his musical influences.

Dee and I met Barry about six months after he became a Christian and traveled, sang, and, wrote with him for about a year prior to him recording his first Christian album and beginning his work with The Second Chapter Of Acts.

It was Barry who recorded most of these songs with these legendary musicians.

Billy Maxwell
Studio work as drummer: T-Bone Burnett, Paul Simon, The Nappy Roots, Luther Vandross, Bob Dylan, Freddie Hubbard, The Crusaders, Art Gunfunkel, Billy Preston, Quincy Jones.

Record producer (Eight Grammys): BeBe and CeCe Winans, Andrae Crouch, Keith Green, Michael McDonald and Chaka Khan.

Billy became Keith Green’s producer after playing on our album “Help Is O the Way.

Chuck Findley is an American session musician. Most widely-known as a trumpet player, he also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone.

A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Findley's first professional work was with the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band before joining the Buddy Rich Band on a world tour. In 1989 he joined the Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson led by Doc Severinsen. He was also a member of the band on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1994 to 2001.

A regular collaborator on recordings by artists such as B. B. King and Steely Dan, he has also played and/or recorded with Miles Davis, Stanley Turrentine, Toto, Pat Boone, Christopher Cross, Jaco Pastorius, Lee Ritenour, Jackson Browne, George Benson, George Harrison, Elton John, Carole King, Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Dionne Warwick, Tom Waits, Randy Newman, Tina Turner, Al Jarreau, Sarah Vaughan, and many others. [Findley played on that Johhny Rivers’ album.]

David Kemper is a drummer who has played with some of rock and folk music's most renowned artists. He was a long-time member of both the Jerry Garcia Band (1983-1994) and Bob Dylan's band (1996-2001). He was with the Jerry Garcia Band for the last eleven years of Garcia's life. He played double drums with Jim Gordon on Barry McGuire's album “Seeds” in 1972 and the song, "Don't Blame God," on his “Lighten Up” album in 1974. [Findley played on that Johnny Rivers' album, too.]

Dean Parks is a leading session guitarist and producer from Ft. Worth, TX. Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan.

Notably, he played the melody line on "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. He has performed with such internationally-known artists as Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Celine Dion, The Monkees, America, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Randy Travis, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Michael Bublé, Barry Manilow, David Lee Roth, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton, and B.B. King.

Parks joined David Crosby and Graham Nash on their U.S. tour in October 2008. [Another player on the Johhny Rivers' album.]

Don Menza is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, session musician and jazz educator noted for his many contributions to American jazz and big band music.

Howard McCrary is an American musician, entertainer, and actor. He was nominated for Grammy award in 1986 for a gospel record. Credited for vocal performances and arrangements on the music albums of Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire and many others. He also appears in the first Gospel Album “The Chimes” of The Chung Brothers (Henry & Roger Chung) in Hong Kong, acting as arranger, pianist and singer in the song Soul Seranade, Part II.

Howard played organ on Barry McGuire’s "Seeds."

Jim Gordon is an American recording artist, musician, and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek And the Dominos.

Gordon began his career in 1963, at age seventeen, backing the Everly Brothers. Gordon performed on many notable recordings in the 1960s, including Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, The Notorious Byrd Brothers by The Byrds, and the hit "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams. At the height of his career Gordon was reportedly so busy as a studio musician that he would fly back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas every day to do two or three recording sessions, and then return in time to play the evening show at Caesars Palace.

In 1969 and 1970, Gordon toured as part of the backing band for the group Delaney & Bonnie, which at the time included Eric Clapton. Derek and the Dominos’ first studio work was as the house band for George Harrison's first solo album, the three-disc set “All Things Must Pass.” In 1970, Gordon was part of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and played on Dave Mason's album Alone Together. In 1971, he toured with Traffic and appeared on two of their albums, including The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. in 1974, Gordon played on the majority of tracks on Steely Dan's album Pretzel Logic, including the single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." He worked with Chris Hillman of the Byrds as the drummer in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band from 1973 to 1975.

Here’s a short list of other artists Gordon has recorded with: Duane Allman, Hoyt Axton, Joan Baez, Stephen Bishop, Bread, Jackson Browne, The Byrds, Glen Campbell, The Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Judy Collins, Crosby, Still, Nash, & Young, John Denver, Donavan, Neil Diamond, Hall & Oates, Jim Henson (yes, The Muppets!), B.B. King, John Lennon, Gordon Lightfoot, Manhattan Transfer, Dave Mason, the Monkees, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Tom Petty, Linda Ronstadt, Leon Russel, Seals & Croft, John Sebastian, Carly Simon, Carole King, Mel Torme, Any Williams, Frank Zappa, etc. [One of the players on the Johnny Rivers' album.]

Jim Horn is an American saxophonist and woodwind player. He was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with Duane Eddy for five years, playing sax and flute on the road, and in the recording studio. Along with Bobby Keys and Jim Price he became one of the most in-demand horn session players of the 1970s and 1980s.

Horn played on solo albums by three members of The Beatles, and worked on a session with Paul McCartney, who was producing a track for Duane Eddy's 1987 album project. Jim Horn also toured with John Denver on and off from late 1978 to early 1993. He also played with Denver in concert occasionally before and after the 1995 wildlife concert.

Horn also played flute and saxophone on The Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds.

More artists: The Mamas & the Papas, Leon Russel, Rita Coolidge, Joe Codker, Johnny Rivers, Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Harry Nillson, Linda Rondstat, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presely, Joni Mitchell, The Carpenters, Garth Brooks, Canned Heat, the 5th Dimension, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Roy Orbison, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, U2, Eric Clapton, George Benson, Little Richard, Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty, Vince Gill, Billy Joel, and so on…

Joe Osborn in and American bass guitar virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from 1960 through 1980. Osborn’s work is widely admired by fellow musicians.

In 1960, Osborn, along with James Burton joined pop star Rick Nelson’s band, where he spent four years. His playing on such Nelson hits as "Travellin' Man" began attracting wider notice, and he found opportunities to branch out into studio work with artists such as Johnny Rivers.

When the Nelson band dissolved in 1964, Osborn turned to studio work full-time. For the next ten years, he was considered a "first-call" bassist among Los Angeles studio musicians (The Wrecking Crew), and he worked with well-known producers such as Lou Adler and Bones Howe, frequently in combination with drummer Hal Blaine and keyboardist Larry Knechtel. His bass can be heard on many of the hit records cut in Los Angeles during that time, along with numerous film scores and television commercials.

Also played on records by: Kenny Rogers, Mel Tillis, Hank Wiliams, Jr., The Mamas & the Papas, The Association, The 5th Dimension, Simon & Garfunkel (“Bridge Over Troubled Waters), Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, and many, many more.

Larry Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s band, Bread.

Knechtel became a prominent member of The Wrecking Crew. His most famous piano work is his 1970 Grammy Award winning contribution to "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

There’s no need tocontinue to list all the records anyone from The Wrecking Crew worked on.

Michael Omartian is a singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and music producer. He has been a participant in over 350,000,000 albums and CD’s sold worldwide, as a producer, arranger, artist, or musician, during a career that has spanned over 38 years. He is the first producer in recording history to have #1 records in three consecutive decades. Others in this group include George Martin. Michael is a multiple Grammy Award winner, including Grammy for keyboardist of the year.

Michael has produced albums for several pop artists including Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, Christopher Cross, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston, the Jacksons, Trisha Yearwood, Clint Black, Donna Summer, Joe "Bean" Esposito, Peter Cetera, Benny Hester, Steve Camp, The Imperials, Amy Grant, and Steely Dan. In 1985 Michael Omartian, along with Quincy Jones, co-produced the #1 hit "We Are the World" by a supergroup of popular musicians billed as USA for Africa.

In one year alone, he was nominated for ten Grammy Awards, three of which he won for his work on Christopher Cross' debut album. he also played as a session musician for artists including Koinonia, Steely Dan, The Four Tops, Seals and Crofts and Loggins & Messina.

Some other acts he has produced include: The Richie Furay Band, Dion, Dionne Warwick, Debby Boone, Kenny Logins, The Commodores, Stephen Bishop, The Disney Company, Gary Chapman, First Call, 4Him, Point Of Grace, Barry Manilow, “Anastasia” original soundtrack, Boz Scaggs, and Kenny Loggins.

Born and raised in Southern California, Mike Deasy began playing the guitar and singing at a young age. By the time he was in high school in the middle 50's, Mike was playing in rock concerts with artists like Ricky Nelson and the Everly Brothers. After graduation, he went on to tour as guitarist with The Coasters, Richie Valens, Eddie Cochrane, and Duane Eddy.

In the middle and late 60's and early 70's, Mike became one of the top studio guitarists in Los Angeles, working with performers such as Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, Michael Jackson, Kenny rogers, The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Frank Zappa, Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra, and Barbara Streisand.

Mike also did many movie soundtracks including numerous Clint Eastwood films such as, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," "High Plains Drifter," and the, "Dirty Harry" movies. And Mike's guitar can even be heard on soundtracks from more recent movies like "Forest Gump" and "The Rock."

Deasy performed on many TV shows such as, "The Bill Cosby Show," "The Flip Wilson Show," "The Sonny & Cher Show," "The Smothers Brothers Show," "The Partridge Family,” and the Saturday morning cartoon, "Josie and the Pussycats." He also did many TV commercials, including Coca-Cola, and Barbie Doll from Mattel Toys.

Ollie Mitchell became a top Hollywood studio musician during the ‘60’s and continued on into the ‘70’s and early ‘80’s. He became part of the sound of pop music on thousands of records, TV shows, jingles, cartoons, and movies during those years. The list of artists he has played with and for is several pages long and includes the Concert for Bangladesh held in Madison Square Garden in New York in 1971.

The 2nd Chapter of Acts was a Jesus Music and early Contemporary Christian Music group composed of sisters Annie Herring and Nelly Greisen and brother Matthew Ward. They began performing in 1973 and enjoyed their period of greatest success during the 1970s. The group disbanded in 1988.

So, if all of these folks really wanted to polish-out their resumes they could add that they played on recordings of songs written by Jim and Dee Patton, right? Yeah, right!

So, what does all this mean? Not much. It really just means we were in the right place at the right time. We also have Gold and Platinum records for some of our kid’s songs we wrote on the albums, “Music Machine,” “Bullfrogs And Butterflies,” and “Nathaniel the Grublet.” For the most part we didn’t gain any notoriety or make any money to speak of. But at least our kids and grandkids can say that there were some of the best musicans in the world recording songs written by their parents and grandparents back in the day. So it’s all good.

Oh, and thanks to Johhny Rivers for re-releasing this album so I could be reminded about this whole thing.

Later,
Jim

Indy Car Racing - A Sport I Care About

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:35:00 GMT

I don't know a lot of people who care about racing as a sport and I'm not going to defend my love of the sport; it's what I grew up with. But for the one or two of you who might like racing, read on. One of the analysts at SpeedTV, Robin Miller, has what he calls, The Open Wheel Mailbag. Fans email him questions and rants. He then chooses some and responds to them online at speedtv.com. He has posted some of my emails in the past. Last week I sent him a rave. He responded to me but I don't know if he will put his response online in the next Open Wheel Mailbag or not. I read my email to Dee and she thought I should put it up here on my blog so here it is with Robin Miller's response at the end. OK, so I just read, "INDYCAR: 2012 Stampede Under Way" on speedtv.com. How could my frustrations reach any higher levels? Look at all the possibilities! To think that we could see so many different chassis if only… If only we didn't already know that there is no way this can happen. Just the very idea that these possibilities are out there and yet knowing that as sure as the sun will rise again tomorrow at 16th & Georgetown the best case scenario is that the brain trust at the IRL will only allow us to ever see one of these cars ever perform is almost too much to bear. One of Swift's new cars even looks like a modern day version of Mickey Thompson's 1964 cars. (See it at www.16thandgeorgetown.com.) It's been so long since we've had any competition in Indy cars. I'm talking about competition between engine and chassis builders. I had forgotten just how much excitement that adds to the sport. And with all the announcements this week it kills me that there is no longer an open wheel racing association in this country that even allows, let alone promotes, such competition. Hello, the word is COMPETITION. Isn't that what racing is??? I'm sorry but this just has my blood boiling. Whatever happened to free enterprise and capitalism? This is un-American. Look, open the track, let the chassis and engine builders present their wares, let the owners choose what they want or build their own. It's obvious the creativity is out there. It's what Americans do; build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your doorstep. That's what I was taught when I was a kid. In a free market, capitalistic society, the market always finds it's own levels. If this sport can't be open to any and all comers then what's the point. Look what happened to the STP turbine car. It was built according to the rules. The rules also promised that any car built within the rules was guaranteed the right to race for three years. So what did USAC do? They changed their own rules and effectively made the turbine un-racable, which was against their own rules. So I guess this has been coming for a long time. If the sport gets too expensive the solution is NOT to make more rules and restrictions. The answer is capitalism. If your cars are to expensive or can't make it to victory lane, then there's somebody out there who can build one that is affordable and will win. Or maybe you can build your own. I hadn't even thought about how political this whole thing has gotten but now I see it. Just like the answer to national healthcare is not to put the government in control but to let real market pressures dictate what people want and will pay for, the same is true for auto racing. If there's no interest in the cars, (or the drivers, but that's another rant), nobody is going to watch. If necessary, let the IRL wilt and die. If people want competition, somebody will step in and fill the need. Somebody will tell Swift, Dallara, Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske, and anybody who wants to get into the competition, "Come one, come all, let the best team win!" Let's see who builds the best engines; Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, VW, Mazda (think "rotary"), Cummins (diesel), G.E. (electric motors), Joe Shmoe (atomic powered thing-a-majig from a UFO found in the dessert of Roswell, New Mexico)—"run what ya brung!" Who makes the best tires? Let's find out on the race track. This is such a tease. So many options never to be allowed. Oh, yeah, now I remember. I thought I was simply a race fan but I was really a fan of competition. Now I know why I'm so bored with both the IRL and NASCAR. Let there be competition or let the sport die a natural death. Whew! Breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, … Jim Patton, Lindale, TX Jim: You make several excellent points that are shared by many of us but as long as Brainless Brian Barnhart is in charge, we're hosed into a spec series. He must be replaced. robin

My Favorite Album of All Time

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:10:00 GMT

I haven’t had a chance to get to the movies for a while so I thought I’d talk about an album instead. The album I’m thinking of is “Odessey and Oracle” by The Zombies. (Yes, I know it looks like I misspelled a word. I know odyssey is misspelled but I didn’t do it. Lead singer Colin Blunstone: “I knew it was spelled wrong, but I thought it was spelled wrong on purpose. The cover was printed by an artist called Terry Quirk. We had a release date and the printing presses were ready to go with the artwork when suddenly he realized he’d spelled it wrong. Obviously, it wasn’t done on the computer in the ’60s; it was a painting. Rod Argent and Chris White decided to concoct a story about how it was done on purpose, a play on the word ‘ode.’ They decided they would even tell the other members of the band this so it would sound more authentic. So I believed it until two or three years ago when I was doing a radio interview with Rod and he said it was a mistake and they tried to cover it up. I thought, ‘I don’t believe you’ve kept that secret for about 37 years!’ I thought it was really funny. Terry Quirk’s a wonderful artist, but he’s not a very good speller.”) The Zombies biggest all time hit was from this album; “Time Of the Season,” which has been played over a million times on U.S. radio. It’s a great song but when I first bought the album, probably back in early 1969, I thought is was one of the weaker songs on the album. The sad story behind this album is that The Zombies really never became big enough to make a living with their music. Boy, do I understand that feeling. So they decided that for their swan song they would do the best album they could possibly do. They were the next band to go into EMI studios in England after The Beatles had spent seven months there recording Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Unlike The Beatles, who basically had unlimited studio time because of their unbelievable success, The Zombies had and extremely limited budget. It was something is the area of about $4,000 (or maybe less); what did that mean? They had to rehearse like crazy before going into the studio and be prepared to basically record the major tracks live and do as much over-dubbing as they could. In fact when asked how he know when they had done enough over-dubbing he recently replied, “When the budget was all gone.” I only mention this because of my own opinion of this album. So what’s the sad part? Before the album was ever released The Zombies disbanded. A year and a half later “Time Of the Season” was released and raced to the top of the U.S. charts but The Zombies were no more so most of us never had the pleasure of seeing them perform. For many years I’ve replied to people that “Odessey and Oracle” is one of my top ten favorite albums of all time. However, I have finally come to realize that I can’t think of another album to put in front of this one; I guess that makes this my favorite album of all time, although, “The Selfish Giant” is right up there, too. Many consider this one the the best psychedelic albums of all time, but since psychedelic means drug induced that excludes this album. The Zombies use to go down to the pub for the occasional ale but they did not take drugs. That’s what they say and I believe it. This album is so beautiful and uplifting in it’s spirit, I don’t believe they could have done it if they were stoned. But don’t get me wrong, this is not some sort of ‘60s bubble gum. This is rock music at it’s best. Fantastic songs played by more than merely capable musicians with vocals rivaling that of The Beach Boys. Intricate, original arrangements, like nothing else in it’s time or since, as far as I know. I guess I shouldn’t call anything “best” but I can call it my favorite. From wonderfully satisfying tunes like, “Care Of Cell 44” (which Bongo and the Point performs in our live concerts), and “Friends of Mine” (which we have performed, too), to total rockers like, “Time Of the Season,” and utterly unique vocal portraits like, “Changes,” this album is in a class of it’s own. And now for the really good news. Since the turn of the millennium The Zombies are back. I’ve already gone really long here so I won’t go into this story but I have seen The Zombies in person in the 21st century and have two DVDs of them performing live in recent years. So I highly recommend not only the classic album but the newest material from The Zombies. Here are some links, check them out. Original album “Odessey And Oracle” “Odessey And Oracle (Revisited)" - The 40th Anniversary Live Performance DVD “As Far As I Can See” - Latest album from The Zombies “Some Years: It's the Time of Colin Blunstone” - A good sampling of some of The Zombies’ lead singer Colin Blunstone’s solo work. (The voice of an angel. jp) Also visit The Zombies on MySpace.

How about posing nude for airport security guards?

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:20:00 GMT

I don't usually rant but this new airport full-body-scan system has my blood boiling. Here's a copy of an email message I sent to the TSA today: I know that in this day of "Big Brother" the government thinks it has the right to do anything it wants to; all for our own good, of course. But this full body scan system is sick, perverted, and disgusting. Nobody needs to see my wife or daughters "naked" in order to secure an airplane. I will never submit to a full body scan, just on principal. I am 59 years old and it will he a cold day in hell when I let some airport security guard look through my wife's clothes to determine if she might be a terrorist. Have you guys lost your minds? Are you really so ignorant and stupid that the only way you can do your job is to assume that everybody is a terrorist? If you are you are idiots! Are you going to tell me you have to look at all airline passengers naked so that you don't hurt somebody else's feelings by "racial profiling." So you'll embarrass and humiliate everybody else! You people have gone off the deep end. You will forsake all our constitutional rights, all common sense, and all decency so that you don't offend the feelings of a few. If someone of Arab descent can't realize that it is only natural that they might be a suspect then they are at risk as well. I don't say you have any reason to be nasty or rude. But if I was Arabic, and not a terrorist, I would take solace in the fact that real, live people were paying attention and trying to protect everyone, (including me), on the plane. The person who says, "If they are going to suspect me they must suspect everyone," has some sort of personal problem. And the government has no right to take it out on the rest of the population. Deal with it. I'm sorry, but this full body scan proposal is completely inappropriate and unacceptable. I know it's the easy way out for you, but you are going to have to find another way. If you would like to give then a piece of your mind you can email them here: TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov Trying to mellow out, Jim

The Blind Side

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:19:15 GMT

Thankfully, the Holiday season is over. For Bongo And the Point it was a hectic time. Much rehearsing and many gigs as well as all the normal Holiday season rush made it very, very busy. We didn't see many movies. We did see "Avatar" but that was about it. There's been plenty already written about "Avatar," so I'll only say it was beautiful, but the story was a rehash of many other sci-fi/fantasy stories I've read; and sci-fi/fantasy is one of my favorite genres. If you don't read much of it, “Avatar” may seem like a great movie. I think there might have been another one or two movies we saw, but I don't remember what.

But last week we finally got around to seeing, "The Blind Side." It was as good as I hoped it would be. I imagine who want to see it already have. It is, for sure, one I would put in my video library. However, I don't really see it as a sports-flick. Of course it involves football, but that is not really the point. This movie is about motives; and for me, motive is everything. Here’s what I mean.

You’re standing on the steps of a church when you see two men get out of their cars. Both are nicely dressed, carrying Bibles under their arms, smiling at other folks in the parking lot. What do you know about them? That they are two nicely dressed men, carrying Bibles under their arms, smiling at other folks in the parking lot. That’s it. What you don’t know is that one of them is a Christian man who just moved into the neighborhood and is looking for a good place to have fellowship and worship God. The second, just graduated from school to become an insurance agent. The first thing you must do, he was taught, is find a good, big friendly, upscale church to attend; all those church-goers need insurance! What’s the difference? Motive.

Back in the 1980s Dee and I worked as creative consultants for a company in Southern California. One of the things we had to do was read a book on writing screenplays. We learned that, generally, movies all have a similar structure. If a movie is an hour and a half to two hours long there will be two “plot points” one about 15-20 minutes into the movie and one 15-20 minutes from the end. A plot point is when the story is progressing along and all of a sudden something unexpected happens to take it in another direction. The first plot point in “The Blind Side” comes on a cold, wet night when a rich, white, Christian family sees a cold, black, teenage boy walking along the road in shorts and a t-shirt shivering. After a brief hesitation, they take him home for the night.

If you don’t know the story of Michael Oher, of the Baltimore Ravens, I won’t spoil it for you but there’s no real surprises. That’s okay because, as I said, that’s not the real point of this film, for me. The second plot point comes when, Leigh Anne Tuohy, (Sandra Bullock), the wife and mother of the aforementioned family, comes face to face with her own morality. Is it good enough to do the right thing, or must you do the right thing for the right reason? She believes it must be the right thing for the right reason. I agree. Someone can still benefit from you doing the right thing for the wrong reason, but you deserve no credit for it. Just as someone might benefit when your intentions are wrong, yet good comes of it; you still deserve no honor. I remember a story of a young mother going out to work in her garden. Her small daughter comes along to play in the warm Spring sun as mom works her way along the flower bed pulling weeds. Upon reaching the end she straightens up, stretching her legs. She turns around to admire her lovely garden and to her horror there stands her daughter at her feet, fists filled with flowers pulled up by the roots. “Look mama,” she says smiling up admirably, “I help.” Did the child mean evil? No. Did harm come? Yes. Will mom be angry? Yes. But, hopefully, before she flies off the handle she will realize that motive is everything. It’s always the motive that gives the action it’s moral definition. Credit or blame is determined by your motive. That’s why Jesus said not to do good deeds in order to be seen by men. If you do you’ve had your reward when men take notice. I’m thinking there is One whose opinion about me matters more than other men’s.

So, I do recommend you go see this if you haven’t or get it when it comes out on video. Despite the fact that Hollywood was blown away by the success of “The Blind Side” I hope they take notice. I just read a report that indicates that films with gratuitous sex tend to do worse at the box office than those that don’t. Sometimes the assumptions Hollywood film makers make are worse than their movies.

Jim

A Christmas Carol

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:34:01 GMT

How many times can one story be told? If it’s “A Christmas Carol” I’ve lost count. But now Jim Carrey stars in yet another version, this one released by The Walt Disney company. What makes this one different? First off is the fact that this one is computer animated. If you saw “The Polar Express” a couple of years ago then you have an idea of the technology used and now you can see how far it has progressed. Quite far, as it turns out. And I think the technology advanced even during the making of this film. It actually gets better as the movie goes along. In “The Polar Express” the animation was a bit creepy; almost real looking, but not quite. We’re still not to the place where you think you’re looking at living, breathing humans, but we’re much closer.

Second, though this version is animated, it certainly is not a children’s version; this isn’t “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” This seems to be more in line with Dickens’ original; scary and intended to make an impression. And it does.

I did not see it in 3-D but it was quite obvious that the director, (Robert Zemeckis), was having a field day with 3-D. Even though things didn’t jump out of the screen at me I know they would have if I’d seen it in 3-D. I don’t enjoy 3-D movies. Maybe I will someday, but for now it still seems quite gimmicky and it distracts from my overall enjoyment of a movie. I go to the movies for a great story and a story can be told in 2-D just fine, thank you. In fact, a good story can be told in 1-D; that’s audio! I still love old-time radio. And nothing can beat a good book. But I digress. Zemeckis also used the virtual camera to great effect regardless on how many dimesions. This is one advantage the medium affords an imaginative director; cameras in the computer can go places and do things that no “real” camera can. Whether it’s flying in, through, or around things at break-neck speed, or simply fitting the “virtual” camera into places where a bigger, real camera couldn’t fit such as looking out from behind the edge of a door knob, computer animation opens up endless new cinema-graphic possibilities.

So, yes, the film is visually wonderful. But haven’t I been saying that a lot lately? I’m sure that just as stereo was to mono, and color was to black and white, so computer graphics will be to “real” film. We’ll get used to it and movie makers won’t be able to rely on wowing folks with the look of films.

Was it a good movie? Yeah, I think so. But then, I was wowed by the visuals… Oh yeah, I see I get caught up in it, too. I can say that the story had some subtleties to it that I haven’t seen in any other film version of the story. Things that added to the story for me. Of all the versions I’ve seen this would be the one I’d add to my library if I could only have one.

Jim

Noble Things

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:45:00 GMT

So when we were at the Hollywood Rose on Thursday, the manager, George Jones, suggested we come back on Friday night to see a film called, “Noble Things.” He said that the producer, Ruben Neubuaer, and the writer/director/star Brett Moses would be there for the Texas Premier and he wanted to introduce us. So Bree and I went back Friday. (Dee couldn’t, as she was judging a music contest in Winsboro Friday night.) Rueben and Brett are great guys and we had a nice talk with them.

Here again is a movie I would not have gone to see, most likely. I go to the movies to escape and have fun. This movie was a serious drama, (to serious for my usual viewing habits), with a poignant story about a young man attempting to become a country music star. Or so it seems at the beginning. It is really a story about life, death, and redemption and it just happens to involve a young man working to become a country music star. Brett Moses grew up in Beaumont, Texas, which is where you end up if you drive long enough south on Hwy. 69 out of Tyler. The movie takes place in East Texas and Jefferson County, Texas.

Jimmy Wayne Collins (Bret Moses) is the son of sheriff Pete Collins. As often happens, he and his older brother Kyle, (Ryan Hurst, “Remember the Titans,” “Saving Private Ryan”), grow up to be the town hell-raisers. Two time Grammy winning country music star Lee Ann Womack, (originally form Jacksonville, Texas, about 25-30 miles south of Tyler, who has an amazing new song called, “There Is A God”), makes an impressive acting debut. (At least I was told this is her debut.) She becomes sheriff when Sheriff Collins becomes ill. On the night Jimmy gets his big break, his record deal, a series of events begin that lead to the eventual climax of the film which, as usual, you won’t hear about from me. Kyle looks after his little brother, as a good big brother always will. And to add to the appeal of this movie it has some top notch music by some of today's top country artists.

The movie is emotionally moving and has one of the best underlying morals of any film I’ve seen in the theater in recent years. It is a bit gruesome during some fight scenes. It is rated “R” but Bree said sometimes a film will be rated one notch higher because of cigarette smoking, which this movie has. I guess that’s because of kids. It’s a shame because this might be just the film many teenagers need to see. The crowd at Hollywood Rose last Friday applauded at the end, which is also rare. They all appreciated it.

And so for this new film company, I wish them success and hope they do well enough to continue to pursue their dreams. This was amazing for what appears to have been a low budget film. I don’t say that because it looked like a low-budget film, but because none of us could get the producer to tell us what the budget was. For their next film, “Riders of the Painted Desert,” they hope to get a budget of between 10-20 million dollars. We should all be anxious to see what they can do with a half-way descent budget. In the meantime, I think "Noble Things" is one to see.

Jim

2012

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:45:00 GMT

Last Thursday I wrote that we weren’t going to the movies that night but we finished our vocal practice and were able to go after all. As often happens, because I don’t pay that much attention to entertainment news and don’t see a lot of trailers I was under the wrong impression about what this was going to be. The year 2012 is a year that has significant meaning to many. The Long Count Calendar of the Ancient Mayans ends on Dec 21, 2012. There isn't much information regarding what the Mayans thought would occur in 2012, but the consensus of opinion is that there will be great change. To some people this means a positive, spiritual change. Others consider that a catastrophic event may have been predicted. On December 21, 2012, for the first time in approximately 26,000 years the Sun will rise to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way (eye, heart, center) and the ecliptic plane; whatever that means. Recently the last book of Nostradamus has been discovered and analyzed. It contains several tables illustrated with enigmatic drawings that according to experts point to the date 2012. His drawings cover the alignment of our solar system with the center of the galaxy that takes place about every 13,000 years. Last time was 11,000 years before Christ, a date in which the last glaciation ended inexplicably and when Plato estimates the disappearance of Atlantis.

So, because of all this, I was expecting a film about the mystery of these predictions and how human beings know when the end of the world is coming and what we we should expect. A pseudo-documentary. But I guess that one will be on the Discovery channel. All these other ideas just give a good excuse to make an old fashioned disaster film. And it’s a good thing I didn’t know that because I might not have gone to see it and would have missed an emotional roller coaster of a film. I really didn’t like the disaster films that began appearing in the 1970s. There were films like, “The Poseidon Adventure,” in 1972 and, “Earthquake,” in 1974. Hollywood went so far as to make a made-for-TV film called, “Smash-Up On Interstate 5,” in 1976. Now there’s a disaster for you. I remember falling asleep during “The Poseidon Adventure.” I know many folks liked these films or else they wouldn’t have kept making them. But, just not my style.

“20012” is the granddaddy of all disaster films. More “disaster” and special effects than all other disaster films combined. Enough of backstory about the characters. And who would have thought the end of the world could be so funny? In fact if they hadn’t lightened it up it could only have been a dreary and horrifying film. But because they eased up with characters like Woody Harelson’s, Charlie Frost, the crazed talk show host who can’t wait to see how the world ends, the filmmakers were able to get away with preposterous performances such as a motor home doing an Evil Knievel canyon jump.

And the special effects were spectacular. Now we know what California will look like falling into the ocean. I’ve seen a giant Russian transport full of exotic cars from all over the world. And a fleet of huge… oh, I guess I shouldn’t say.

The movie might have been a bit long but it was fun and exciting and not to be taken too seriously. Which was good news for me. I might even add this one to my video library.

Jim

Don't Listen To Me - I'm An Idiot!

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:05:00 GMT

This week it looks like we’ll be unable to go to the movies; we’re beginning to rehearse Christmas songs for upcoming concerts during the Holiday season, and that is taking up every spare minute we have together. But, what the hey?

It has come to my attention in the last couple of weeks that some folks aren’t going to see some movies I haven’t particularly liked and are giong to see some of those I have. I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Don’t listen to me! What do I know? When I wrote my first review I said that all I was trying to do was give you some insight as to what I like and dislike; that after awhile you could begin to get a feeling for whether you and I have similar tastes. So, once you have seen a good number of the same movies that I have and you begin to compare your tastes to mine then maybe you might feel comfortable allowing my opinions to have some influence on your movie going decisions.

Really, there used to be two guys on TV who would review and rate movies every week. After some months of watching them I figured out which one of them had more similar tastes to mine than the other. It turned out that neither of them had the exact same tastes as me. I admit that it was irritating sometimes to hear them bashing some movie I had just seen and loved, but that was okay. Once I had them figured out, I could usually tell by their reviews which films I might like to see; and more often than not it was the ones they both panned.

Everybody has their own tastes and, contrary to what some critics think, yours one is valid. You like what you like. Why not enjoy it. Now, that’s not to say that we can’t learn more about movies or music; that we can’t learn to appreciate genres and styles we once ignored. Like most art forms, the more you learn the better you can appreciate the good stuff and sift out the bad.

Back in the mid 1980s I went to work in a music store selling guitars and synthesizers. Most of my coworkers were some of the best musicians in town. I began to notice that, regardless of the kind of music they were playing at their gigs, they all seemed to have one thing in common; they all liked jazz. I had never listened to jazz. I began listening to it in the evenings when I went to bed at night. Then I began to try and play some. Oh, boy! Not a chance. I began to see how difficult it was compared to the rock and roll I was used to. So I began to have an ever increasing admiration for the skill of jazz musicians. I didn’t necessarily like all of it. But even what I didn’t like I could appreciate.

So just take what I have to say about movies with the proverbial grain of salt. The same goes for music reviews (which I need to do more of it I can find the time).

Later,

Jim

The Men Who Stare At Goats

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:55:00 GMT

“The Men Who Stare At Goats” starring, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, and Kevin Spacey.

We went to see Disney’s new version of The Christmas Carol last night. But at the last minute we changed our minds and went to see “The Men Who Stare At Goats” instead. Why? That’s what some in our party wanted to see and, after all, how could you not be curious about a movie called “The Men Who Stare At Goats?” And besides, I was concerned I might be disappointed with yet another re-telling of Dickens’ holiday favorite.

Well, those who have called this movie quirky are right. It’s also funny and very original. You are led to believe it is a true story but I’m sure it’s only loosely based on a true story, which is good enough for Hollywood types. I only say that because I have researched remote viewing and this movie doesn’t get that quite right. But no matter; the premiss is so ridiculous that few movie goers will believe it anyway, and you don’t need to.

George Clooney plays his character, Lyn Cassady, much like he played Everett Ulysses McGill in, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou.” Not that the two characters are the same, but he plays the character so straight you wonder if you’re supposed to laugh at him or not; but you can’t help it. The character is completely serious about himself and what he’s doing but what he is and what he’s doing is preposterous. Reporter Bob Wilton, (Ewan McGregor), plays along in order to get into Iraq with Cassady in 2002 to try to get his story and prove to his wife he’s something special; a serious, hard core journalist. But he doesn’t really believe in Cassady or any of the things he’s telling him. Who would?

This was definitely a laugh-out-loud flick. I didn’t realize it was rated “R” when I went in. It has brief partial nudity and a few short scenes with language that obviously earned it that rating. But what spoiled the film for me came at the end. As I said, it is a quirky, hilarious film. But it seemed as if underneath that it was going somewhere. Yet, about 10 minutes from the end it fell apart for me. All of a sudden it felt like the film makers remembered they needed to make a statement. In my case, I didn’t buy it. Some of our party didn’t care, and one even thought it was in keeping with the rest of the film. But for me the plot was so odd that I was anticipating everything would come clear and make sense at the end; instead I was totally disappointed. So after an hour and a half of enjoyment I felt cheated in the end.

Jim

Astro Boy

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:05:00 GMT

So, for me this picture had two things going against it before I went to see it. First, I don’t care for anime. Second, I didn’t know the backstory. Who is Astro Boy and what does he do? I don’t know.

I’ve always been an animation fan; as a child, as an adolescent, as a teen ager, and even now. But I never liked anime from the first time it came on TV back in the ‘60s. I remember one show about a lion, I think it was called Kimba. No thanks. The other one I remember was Speed Racer. At that time I was still driving quarter-midgets or half-midgets and so I was serious about racing. Speed Racer made me want to puke. I hated it.

Well, fortunately this computer generated film didn’t really have much of the look of anime except for Astro Boy, (Toby), and a few other characters. But it was much more subtle. So I was able to get by that. Although, Astro Boy’s spiked hair bothered me a bit. Especially as it changed from side to side in different shots. Maybe that’s an anime thing. So the lack of the hard core anime look was good for me but may not work for fans of the original show.

And the backstory was no problem either. Like most super-hero movies the first 20 or 30 minutes gives you that and the rest of the story takes off from there. I’m at a disadvantage not having been familiar with Astro Boy before I went to see the movie. Bree says, it’s like, one of the oldest anime characters around. But all I have to go on is the movie itself. But while it had a story it also appears to be the setup for more. And since they have already modeled all the characters and sets I could see this coming to TV as a series on Nickelodeon like Jimmy Neutron. Yes, I know, Jimmy Neutron was on TV first. But so was Astro Boy, but as cell animation.

This was a fun film after you get past a couple of “statements” it seems the film makers had to make. One is driven home by the fact that it takes place on a chunk of earth orbiting our planet after humans have polluted it and made it uninhabitable. A tired premiss for sure but a popular bandwagon to be on these days. We have no right to destroy God’s planet but if you aren’t going to offer any positive alternatives leave it for science class or some kind of public debate not a kid’s show that is meant to entertain. The other is the idea that politicians will do anything to get and keep power including starting wars. Don’t get me wrong, most politicians rate up there with sleazy used car salesman in my book. Not all, but most. I just don’t see how that helps tell a kid’s story.

I guess the movie is about Astro Boy discovering who he is and what his place in this world is. The answer sort of comes near the end but it was kind of weak. For the most part I think I enjoyed the animation, which is getting so good these days that nothing really amazes me any more, and the lighter side of the story. Humans versus robots, another tired theme, but with a twist that I won’t reveal for those who, like me, are unfamiliar with Astro Boy. It seems that kids of all ages should be able to just enjoy this as a cartoon and fun family entertainment.

So if your tastes run along the same lines as mine I don’t think you’ll come away thinking you’ve wasted your money.

Jim

Meet the Beatles

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:50:00 GMT

I turned 14 six days before The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan show. I watched the show. The next day my mother took me to the closest music store and bought me "Meet the Beatles." My life was changed forever. I had bought some 45s (a small 7” vinyl platter with one song on each side that played at 45 rpms, for those of you too young to remember such things) by such artists as Rick Nelson and the Four Seasons. But this was my first album (a 12” vinyl platter plainy at 33? rpms with multiple songs on one side. Hopefully you know what vinyl is).

Though they had a similar lineup to what I saw on “Ozzie and Harriet” each week when Ricky would sing a song at the end of the show each week, that is two guitars, bass, and drums, it was different. Here were some guys who were not from Hollywood; they were just four guys who got together and learned to play instruments and sing. On top of that they were writing their own songs as well as playing other people’s. For the first time it entered my mind that a regular kid had a chance to become a musician and play in public and maybe, someday, even make records. I don’t know where I though musicians came from. Maybe they were hatched out of special eggs grown only in Hollywood or New York. I don’t know, but now it occurred to me that perhaps you didn't have to be someone special to begin with.

The songs on this album were:
Side One:

I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Saw Her Standing There
This Boy
It Won’t Be Long
All I’ve Got To Do
All My Loving

Side Two:

Don’t Bother Me
Little Child
Till There Was You
Hold Me Tight
I Wanna Be Your Man
Not A Second Time

It would be some years before I learned this wasn’t the album The Beatles originally recorded. The original, called “With The Beatles” in England had 14 songs not 12. And some of the songs that were on the original weren’t on this one. Later I learned that Capital records was taking 14 song LPs and butchering them up and leaving off songs and giving us Americans shorter albums so they could take the left off songs along with the singles (which The Beatles thought should not be on albums as they didn’t think fans should have to pay for the same song twice) and compile them into “new” albums. This way they could make more money off the recordings. Oh, so clever.

But I digress. I had never heard music like this before. It was not polished and highly produced like the music I was hearing on the radio. I think the last big hit I remember being on the radio before The Beatles invaded our shores was “Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton. I would never have to listen to schmaltz again. Yes! It’s very hard today for anyone who wasn’t around at the time to realize what a revolution this was. I can’t even think of a way to explain it. It changed everything. Very few of the contemporary American pop artists of the time survived. There were some; The Four Seasons and The Beach Boys come to mind. The Beach Boys also became favorites of mine. It turned out that The Beach Boys were three brothers, a cousin, and a friend from high school. But I had never know that before. It took me a full year of begging, pleading, and insisting that I needed an electric guitar before my folks finally acquiesced on my 15th birthday.

There’s probably no need to do anything like a “review” of this album so let me just make a few comments. Here was a predominately guitar driven form of rock and roll based on American music I had mostly never heard. It was crudely done by today’s standards but I see very few bands today who could even copy this music let alone create it. Four singers among the four members, though admittedly Ringo wasn’t nearly as strong vocally as the other three. Here were arranging and playing there ow instruments. And I had no idea at the time how strong the songs they were writing. I guess I though anybody could do it. As it turns out, not so.

If you want to hear the music that put me over the edge pick up a copy of “With the Beatles.” I don’t think that “Meet the Beatles” is available on CD; it may be in some box-set somewhere but I’m not sure. But you can still hear the music that changed it all. A perpetual reminder of the roosts of modern rock music.

[To break down the differences between "With" and "Meet" it gooes like this:

Both Albums have these songs:
It Won’t Be Long
All I’ve Got To Do
All My Loving
Don’t Bother Me
Little Child
Till There Was You
Hold Me Tight
I Wanna Be Your Man
Not A Second Time

"Meet" has these and "With" doesn't:
I Want To Hold Your Hand (Not on an original British LP - a single)
I Saw Her Standing There (From their first British LP, "Pleae, Please Me," known as "Introducing the Beatles" in Amaerica, recorded and released before "Wtih the Beatles" in England)
This Boy (From "A Hard Day's Night" in England, part of which was released in America on the United Artist label while this and other songs showed up elswhere.)

"Wtih" has these and "Meet" doesn't:
Please Mister Postman
Roll Over Beethoven
You Really Got A Hold On Me
Devil In Her Heart
Money (That's What I Want) (These all found their way onto an American album called "The Beatles Second Album," which of course, in reality it wasn't; "With the Beatles" was. Are you thoroughly confusued yet?) See how quickly Capital Records figured out how to squeeze more dollars of of the record buying public.

Either way it's a 5 Monkey album.

Jim

Where the Wild Things Are

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:35:00 GMT

I’ve been putting off writing this for almost a week. Why? Because I really only like writing positive reports. And on the positive side I can say that the creatures and the interaction with the Max, the little boy, are stunning. I attended a speech given by Jim Henson around 1985. During the question and answer period I asked him how long it would be before we would see muppets who would appear to be alive and actually speaking. I guess the answer was 25 years. Live puppetry and computer animation make living, breathing, emotional beings out of these Wild Things. It is a visual delight. But I guess when I found myself obsessing with the technology I should have known the story wasn’t going anywhere.

What I expected and wanted was something fun and light; something magical. A bit of scariness wouldn't be too bad for a monster movie. Instead I got dark and dreary with pointless meanness. Don’t expect a great movie for youngsters. I guess if they are young enough not to care about the story anyway, they might be sold on just seeing a little boy playing with monsters. But if they are old enough to care about what is happening I think they’ll be puzzled. I was. The original story in the book only had ten sentences. That’s not much to build a movie around. So a story had to be written. The feeling it gave me was that somebody thought they had some profound things to say about childhood and how to survive it. Unfortunately I didn’t appreciate that point of view and it didn’t make for much entertainment. A story shouldn’t have to take itself too seriously even if it has something to say, which this one didn’t. But it did take itself very seriously. And so it needed to make some serious, helpful points. I don’t know why doing mean, spiteful things to each other is supposed to make these creatures and Max lovable characters. But it didn't.

As always, I won’t give away the story; well, actually, I’d have to know what the story was in order to give it away, but for me a movie is always about the story and no amount of technology will convince me to add a flick to my own video library. And this one won’t make it onto my shelf.

And that’s how I see it.

Later

Jim

Pandorum

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:30:00 GMT

We accidentally went to see “Pandorum” last week. I say accidentally because we didn’t know what kind of movie it was. We knew it was science fiction but we didn’t know that it was really a horror film set in a space ship. It would be better titled “PanGORum.” If we had known what it was going to be we have chosen something else.

Now my mother used to say if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all. So it has taken me a few days to think of something nice to say about this movie; it was very well done for what it was. So you may like these kinds of films and will enjoy it. But not if you’re like me. It was well done for what it was, though. But to me it was like a very, very long music video. Lots of close up shots and cutting very quickly from shot to shot making it hard to see what was happening. That’s one thing when you're doing a 4 or 5 minute music video but for a 15 hour long movie, or whatever it was, (actually 108 minutes), it was too much for my poor old brain to follow. So for a genre I don’t like to begin with it required too much thinking. Way too hard to follow.

Aside from Dennis Quaid there were no name actors in this film. Bree remembered Ben Foster from his days at “Flash Forward” on the Disney Channel and he was in a couple of episodes of “My Name Is Earl.” But they seemed to have spent all their money on the sets instead of actors. It had the look of a big budget Hollywood film but from the beginning it also had the look of a European film. When the credits ran it was evident that the movie was shot in Germany.

In the end, this R rated movie will never be in my video library and I could never recommend it to anybody who doesn’t love lots of bloody, gory slashing and killing. For me, I go to the movies to be entertained not grossed out. And I better stop now since I don’t have anything else nice to say about “Pandorum.” Remember, all opinions on this blog are mine and if you learn what I like you'll know how it compares to your tastes and you can decide for yourself what you want to spend your hard earned money on.

Jim

Surrogates

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:25:00 GMT

In the first five minutes we learn what has happened. An inventor who is wheel chair bound invented a means whereby he and people like him could still participate in society. By placing a device on his head he could control a “surrogate,” (a robot controlled by the power of the mind), and vicariously be a normal “human being.” Of course, the military immediately took the device to develop it as a weapon. That in turn brought the price down so that consumers could afford such devices. This is a repeatable pattern in the contemporary world; everything from pens that can write upside down underwater to hi-tech items like computers and so on owe their existence to this sort of development. By the time the movie begins it appears that 99% the world all live their lives through “surries” experiencing life without risk or danger of any kind.

Surrogates, a sci-fi, murder mystery, action thriller stars Bruce Willis and is good on that level. But it’s the underlying insights into the true being in all of us that makes it stand out for me. Of course, with everybody able to face the world through their surries the streets are filled with nothing but beautiful, strong and healthy, perfectly dressed beings. Not a flaw is to been seen anywhere. This goes way beyond dyeing your hair, bleaching your teeth, liposuction, hours a week at the gym, plastic surgery, or any of the things that we do today. Hiding behind your surrie means never having to face anybody, not even yourself.

Another benefit of the surry age is crime rates have dropped drastically. I suppose when people have no interaction with one another it reduces the opportunity for crimes against one another as well, doesn’t it. But at what price? For one thing the tiny minority who choose not to live via surries are placed on reservations. The first plot point is when two surries are destroyed by a man with a hand held weapon and the two users die as well. If humans are not safe after all then a cover up must keep this knowledge from them and FBI agent Greer (Willis) is on the case.

Even though the mask of being a surry seems to be a way for humans to hide their true selves living a lie takes its toll. How many of us try to live a lie. Yet, until we honestly come face to face with our real identity unhappiness and misery are bound to follow of necessity. It’s the way we’re made. Streets overcrowded with perfect surrogates can't make up for broken and lonely hearts.

Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field,
    Until there is no more room,
    So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!
                                                               Isaiah 5:8

Greer is the first we see doubting that living behind a surry is really the best way to go. His own life and family tragedies don't go away and he fights a lonely battle to a conclusion before the film is over.

A good action film but even better for you "thinkers."

Jim

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:20:00 GMT

Let me start off by saying I am not a movie/music critic or reviewer. I'm a consumer with opinions. Hopefully, over time you will find my opinions useful either because you agree or disagree with me. If you find you agree then you can also "consume" the same things I like. If you don't then avoid them. Either way, as I say, my opinions should prove useful over time.

So, as we've told some of you, beginning in October we will be performing at the Hollywood Theater - Tyler Rose. One of the perks for this gig is the opportunity to preview films before they are released. Tonight (Thursday the 17th) we saw two movies. The first one was "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs," and the other was, "9," which I'll talk about in a separate blog.

When I was an adolescent I loved movies by Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, and guys like Jerry Lewis. I loved to laugh and these movies were side splitters for me. The only thing is, when I grew up I found that some of these weren't nearly as funny as I remembered them being. "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs," made me laugh like those films I enjoyed as a kid. The difference is I'm as grown up as I'm ever going to get, as far as I can tell.

The premise was just as silly as some of those. A young scientist invents a machine that converts water into food and makes things like cheeseburgers rain from the sky. Preposterous, yes, but it's as good a place to start for absolutely silly fun as anywhere. I'm not going to make it a habit to spoil films for you so I won't talk much about plots, but I know Bree and I were laughing out loud through this whole film.

The first thing that impressed me was the writing. It may or may not be the kind of humor you like but for me it always comes back to great writing. Many companies can give you descent computer animation, but so what? I thought the character design was great as were the personalities and the actors who portrayed them. Believe it or not the visual effects were surprisingly excellent considering how silly some of them were. Where else can you see a "real live" spaghetti tornado that looks good enough to eat? But it was the humor that made this one for me.

For me, this movie was better than anything Pixar has done since they were bought out by the Disney company. Great to look at, but mostly just plain funny. Remember, I'm not likely to ever say, "You're going to love this film," or, "You've got to see this," but you can rest assured that "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" become a part of our video library when it's released. So as time goes by you'll learn what I like and how my opinion compares to your own. I think most kids (young and old) will enjoy this movie and for hilarious, silly nonsense this movie did it for me. How about you?

Jim

9

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:05:00 GMT

Now here's a movie I didn't really have much of an idea about what to expect. I knew Tim Burton had something to do with it and that the animation looked good. But as it turned out "9" was quite a wonderful surprise for me. I haven't really gotten much out of the Sony Animation films I've seen before but this one was easily their best effort though they may have done some other things I haven't seen and would like.

This is not a children's movie like "Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs." I know kids who would love it but I also know kids who would find it too frightening. There are mechanical monsters and scenes that would be too intense for some. The movie is rated PG-13 but don't let Hollywood ratings determine what you let your kids see, (or yourself either), one way or the other. You should know your kids better than anyone. When in doubt see it yourself first. Oftentimes I find movies are not rated the same I would rate them. Sometimes they're rated to high, sometimes to low. In my opinion parents need to be the judge. Don't let your friends, neighbors, or even me, for that matter, tell you what your kids should see. And most certainly don’t trust Hollywood. It’s your responsibility, no one else's. I think, however, I would probably have rated this one PG-13 even though I know some younger kids who could handle it fine.

I'm not is easily impressed with great effects and visuals. Great effects and visuals are fairly common today but I did find myself occasionally distracted by how beautifully this film was done. The way it was "filmed" was at times dazzling. It's a bit dark because of the plot but I found it to be a “miniature epic.” The characters all have numbers instead of names, but 9, 7, 2, and the rest of the main characters are all very small, maybe 7 or 8 inches high.

Like "Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs” which I also saw tonight “9” was a unique movie. I like things that are different. There’s a bit of a mystery about the story; who are these heroes, who are these villains, and what do they have to do with each other? These characters all are alive as soon as we meet them. Elijah wood, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, and the rest have great characters to portray which probably made it easy for them to do such a good job.

These two films are two of my favorite movies that I have seen all year. If you want to get an idea of what I like and how you can begin to compare your opinions to mine so as to know if you want to see or avoid the movies I like here’s a good place to start.

Jim