Erin Gray

Erin Gray circa 1979 = Yum

Franciszek Honiok, Enron, and Source Code

Last week was a week for reestablishing old friendships; after a year's hiatus, I talked with both Fred and Emo within a two day period, and the next day went to see Source Code with my cousin Jon.

Source Code is the story of an American soldier who is sent back in time, initially against his will, to endlessly repeat the last eight minutes of a terrorist attack. The purpose? To identify the bomber and prevent further bloodshed. The movie has gotten superb reviews from just about every critic, and I certainly wasn't displeased with the film. I also wasn't blown away. I think that guidebooks ten years from now will tone down the praise.

It is a solid film, but it was nothing overtly original. I guessed the soldier's 'secret' early on, and the actual identification of the bomber was unusually ho-hum, as if the script was in a hurry to wrap that up in order to further explore the romantic relationship. Three stars.



I rented Tron: Legacy soley to christen my new Blu-Ray player. Why not start off with a big, splashy special effects epic? Sadly, as my TV lacks an HDMI port and I connect via component cables, the Blu-Ray displays the disc in the same resolution as a DVD. Yay me.

As for the movie - it was fine. I wasn't in love with the original film, so keep that in mind, but I thought this was OK. Nothing more.



We just finished watching Christina Aguliera in "Burlesque". I'm not sure why the reviews I read last year were bad. Sure, the plot was predictable, but what, you rented it expecting The French Connection? The music was good, the women were hot, and the romance was sweet. I liked it.


The Gleiwitz Case is an East German film recreating the events that began WWII, namely a Nazi ruse where "Polish" troops took over a German radio station along the border. From what I gather this was a state sponsored Cold War era film, and yet it has a noticeable artistic style despite a matter-of-fact style. What bothers me the most about how the war began is the murder of Franciszek Honiok, an innocent Polish farmer, in order to leave behind 'proof' of the raid. Yes, I know. Millions upon millions died in the war, and yet this hits home extremely hard. It just seems so banane and callous a way to start such a momentous event in history; if the war was to begin with the murder of a civilian, wouldn't you question the motives of your government from the very start? Naive of me, I know.
The Smartest Guys in the Room is the tale of Enron, the superstar company that was built - and destroyed - by fraud and deceipt. As Bush era documetaries are wont to do, some of the blame is laid at the feet of the Bush family, despite most of Enron's machinations falling under the eyes of the Clinton administration. Argh, enough about politics. The story of Enron is one of lies, theft, and more lies. It's truly a corporate tragedy.

Some pics of Smiley's first lost tooth!

El Beso

 I took Lisa & Junie to El Beso, the new Mex restaurant in Greenfield (site of the old Champs). The prices were on the high end of avg & there were few items (and little change in price) on the lunch menu. Service was great, food was average, but they had a grease trap truck parked outside the entrance, greeting you w/ sewer odor as you entered and exited. Stick to El Fuego.

 Got my first hate email of the day, signed "your mindless crapp"

A) My left knee is killing me. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to sit on my a** for four months then abruptly bike 2+ miles B) I'ts the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. RIP Union soldiers. C) I'm in the paper today. Pick up a copy

The Civil War - 150 Years Later

150 years ago, at this very moment (4:30 AM EST) Confederate troops in South Carolina opened fire on Fort Sumter, starting the American Civil War. By the time hostilities ended four year later 1,030,000 Americans had become casualties (3 % of the population), a number that included more than 600,000 dead.

Whatever bookstore or library you visit will have its fair share of books about the war, as it continues to resonate with Americans across the centuries. I still favor the works of Bruce Catton, a lyrical historian that brought you into the hearts and minds of the men involved. Pick up any of his work and you won't be disappointed.

To the Americans who died in that war, and especially to those who died in the cause of Freedom and Union - RIP. Your sacrifice is appreciated.

LuLu and I take our first bike ride together!!

Tonight Olivia and I hit the road for our 1st ever bike trip together. We went up to Howard Ave & back (about 2 miles), w/ a few added detours through the park, around the block etc. Tip: if you need to clean rust off your bike, take a ball of wet aluminum foil to it. Not only will it remove the rust, it doesn't scratch the paint.

Smiley loses his first tooth! :(

Smiley just lost his first tooth! Seems so recent that I was sitting in his nursery rocking with him - Lisa

Reviews

I just finished reading Felix Gilman's "The Half-Made World". It is a beautiful, lyrical novel that will never get its due because its part of the 'steampunk' genre. But know this: rarely did three pages go by before I was again awed by his ability to capture a moment or a thought with the perfect, economical use of words. Easily the best written book I've read this year.

Over the last few days we also watched I Like Killing Flies, a documentary about Shopsins, a hole-in-the wall restaurant that's been in business for more than 30 years. It's very interesting, in large part because of the conflict between the intelligence of the owner and the angry, dirty

way he chooses to run his business.

The Infidel is a comedy, sometimes wrongly labeled a documentary, about a Muslim man who learns a) he was adopted and b) he was born Jewish. It's very funny and sweet, and while the tail end drags into kumbaya territory, it was a fun film to watch. Session 9 was a movie I was prepared to write off as a schlocky, B movie horror flick, albeit blessed with a semi-impressive cast. Not so. I'm not saying it was a masterpiece, or even a 'good' movie by convential standards, but it held its own and there was a unique twist in the plot. At times, quite impressive.

A beautiful warm day, a fresh column off to the paper, a short day of work ahead of me, and then a day off w/out any (known) obligations Monday. Sounds good to me.

 "Unless you're ashamed of yourself now and then, you're not honest." - William Faulkner

 off of work and straight to doc w/ Junie for an earache/drainage

 “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” - Edmund Burke

Burlesque

 We just finished watching Christina Aguliera in "Burlesque". I'm not sure why the reviews I read last year were bad. Sure, the plot was predictable, but what, you rented it expecting The French Connection? The music was good, the women were attractive, and the romance was sweet. I liked it.

Voting in the Park

 

Local Elections

Ok, bedtime folks, here in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. If you're in WI, please go out and vote today (unless you plan to vote for someone other than Stone and Prosser, in which case take a siesta from voting and relax at home with a beer. Go ahead, I won't mind - and future Milwaukee County residents will thank you!)

If you want my predictions for the local election: I think Prosser takes the W, Abele grabs the County Exec, and the Bay View hating Terry Falk keeps his school board seat.

The Surprise Hailstorm of Sunday, April 3rd

Holy Cow! A rumble of thunder, followed abruptly by the wildest hailstorm I've ever seen! The lawns, the sidewalks, the street are bathed in hail. It was hitting the neighbor's roof and richoceting [sic] onto my porch wth such ferocity it sounding like someone was taking a bat to the siding. Wow. (noon, April 3rd)

UConn just won the NCAA Championship, just a moment ago; for something completely different, check out these documentaries:

I didn't think I'd like the documentary 'Exit Through The Gift Shop', especially after the montage scenes of graffiti artists made me angry. The destruction of someone else's property doesn't entertain me. Never has, never will.

Then Banksy, a British 'street artist' extraordinaire, entered the film. Banksy has an undeniable talent, a pleasant personality, and a good sense of humor that plays well on film, even behind the facade of a digitally altered face and voice. I developed a grudging respect for the man and his work (some of which is now excavated by property owners and kept as saleable art).

Cue another shift in direction, as Banksy turns the camera back on the documentary maker and instructs him to begin his own artistic career. The results are hilarious, and I wound up enjoying this documentary quite a bit.

No such love for 'Banky's Coming For Dinner', a gawd-awful mockumentary featuring Joan Collins and a man impersonating Banksy. It is a pointless, flat waste of film.

Fat Head is a documentary retort to Super Size Me, the doc that famously accused McDonald's of being responsible for an American obesity epidemic. Despite low production values, I enjoyed the third of the film that went toe to toe with the original documentary. Super Size Me is a better 'film', but Fat Head's logic points out its inconsistencies and inherent propaganda.

Alas, the film then morphs into an extended infomercial for a low carb diet. I agree that 1/3rd of the American diet is fueled by the whims of a Leftist agenda (vegan, etc) and 2/3 the economics of agriculture (hey, if we grew cardboard violins in Iowa the USDA would put 'em down as essential for a healthy breakfast). But dude, stay on target and mind the mission creep: I'm watching to see you refute SSM, not preach a diet of your own.

You know why modern roasts suck? A) because they rely on no-name B listers with no connection to their target B) 80% of the jokes are aimed towards the panel, not the guest and C) it's over the top vulgar.

If you have William Shatner as your target, your funniest attempt at humour should not be a Sulu-gay sex barb.

That said, I had a few laughs, and kudos to Betty White for a fine performance.

Zack Galifianakis: Live at the Onion was a funny, low key stand up performance. Well done.

 Gotta love the honesty from CBS during halftime of the NCAA Championship game: Worst half of championship basketball ever. Awful. Sad. A competition to see who can play worse. A horrible showcase for the NCAA, etc.

 Not the greatest start to the MLB season, finishing today with a record of only 3 -1. Ah well, we'll do better. I speak of course, of my beloved Yankees. My hometown Brewers, OTOH, stand at 0-4. I do count myself as a Brewers fan, but 37 years of disappointment has tempered my confidence. I'm not a Cubs fan - every half century or so I'd like to see a championship.

Random Pics

 

Dr. Phil is playing in the living room; the Dr. Phil 'Family' to be precise. Question for the FB world -does anyone know what happened to the Mormon 'Dr. Phil Family' he used to help each week? The family w/ the hot, 'Danny Girl' Mom who had an affair w/ a man of a different race, got knocked up, gave the baby up for adoption and then finagled financial help from the adoptive parents? They just went AWOL. What gives?

 I was not overly impressed by Britney's GMA performance. Oh, she's still List of Five, and I enjoy her music, but she was 'off'. Her dancing was less than superb, and she seemed out of it. Her psych meds perhaps? Also, finished watching Doctor Who's "The Curse of Fang Rock" late last night. Loved it.

From the "loved it 20 yrs ago, but . . . " files: I watched Mystery Science Theater 3000 last night and yowsas it was bad. Not as bad as the movie they mocked, but not that far off. Dated references, predictable jokes, bad skits, and an air of sadness & depression. Oh, wait, that last bit was me, as I mourned the ruination of yet another fond memory. RIP once beloved show, RIP.