Odds 'n Ends.

--For the past week I've had a blog post, sitting in draft limbo, where I talked (in agonizing detail) about our journey to home ownership. Not the most illuminating thing you'd read all weekend....not by a long shot.

Never fear, this is not that post. I deleted it after figuring out, after a few reads, just how utterly boring it was. Talking about the ins and outs of getting a VA loan doesn't make for very interesting reading. I got bored just rereading it.

Long story short:

Yes, we have found a house (pictured above). It's about a mile down the road from where we're renting and in a much better location, convenience-wise. We're in walking distance to Publix and the local mall. After about two months of jumping through hoops we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. With any luck, within the next couple of weeks, we'll have a closing date and will be moving into our first real, honest to goodness, home.

I'll do my best to keep you all updated as events unfold.

--The weekend was fun, but slow paced. We saw American Sniper, finally, this past Saturday. Great film and pretty intense. I'm very surprised it didn't take home more Oscars, but then most of the really good films seem to be passed over many times. It really drives home the point (at least to me) about the challenges and struggles our vets face when they come home. Something to really think about. Just to balance out the intensity with some lighter fare, later on that night we watched Big Hero 6. Cute flick and, as always, Disney/Pixar doesn't disappoint.

Today, (Sunday) we got up early today (like we do every other morning) to drive down to the beach and watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, a London-esque peasouper fog prevented that from happening, but we still had fun walking along the beach with some of the other early birds.

Oh well, maybe next weekend.

--Social media-wise, I'm giving Twitter and Instagram some more attention for no other reason than "just because". If you're on either one, and are so inclined, look me up

Twitter

Instagram

--I'm still waffling on The A to Z Challenge and should figure that out soon (hopefully). Either way, though, I'll still be doing my best to support those taking up the challenge this year.


I hope you all had a good weekend and that the upcoming week is, if nothing else, bearable :)

Until next time.

The Legend of The Legend Of The Lone Ranger

On researching some things about the Old West, I ran across a very interesting article about the old 80's movie The Legend of the Lone Ranger. I remember this film well, mainly because I was very excited about it's release.....sort of like I was with the latest, Disney, offering.

I don't remember being as disappointed in the 80s version as I was with the newest release, though.

Anyway, I found the article extremely interesting because it mainly discusses the star....a relative unknown named Klinton Spilsbury and how he, pretty much, came out of nowhere to get the role (because he 'looked good in the mask') and then disappeared just as quickly afterwards.

Sort of like character he portrayed, in some respects.

I had fond memories of this movie growing up and remember the hullabaloo surrounding the film and how the studio treated Clayton Moore (the original, t.v. Lone Ranger) so poorly, when all he wanted to do was continue wearing the mask and talking to fans. Apparently, that backlash really hurt the film. Probably more than the poor performance and prima-donna attitude of Spilbury who, as the legend also tells, had his voice dubbed by another actor. Even such big name stars like Jason Robards and Christopher Lloyd couldn't help ticket sales.

While the film was a marketing success (from what I've read), it still did terrible box office to the point that no one was interested in picking the property back up until Disney decided to give it a go.

In my opinion, they should have just let sleeping dogs lie.

Can you tell that I really hated Disney's Lone Ranger??

I also found the entire movie on YouTube and am going to give it another watch. I haven't seen it in over twenty years so I'm interested to see if it still holds up and is still a better Batman than Ben Affleck.

Oh wait....that's a post for another day.

The Legend Of The Lone Ranger

Have a great week!

Best and Worst Movie Remakes Blogfest

When I saw this, my first thought was...."Ugh, a blog hop so soon after A to Z?". Then, I read about it and found it was right up my alley, so I just had to participate :)

Thanks to Alex, Stephen, Livia, and Father Dragon (Al Diaz) for hosting!

If there's one thing I'm saying about Hollywood, on a constant basis, is that there are never enough original ideas coming from them.

In comes the (sometimes) dreaded "remake".

When it comes to the movie "remake", the term always makes me cringe because it's such a double-edged sword....especially if the original was a movie you really liked. A lot of times you're rolling the dice when you plunk down your money for one of these.

Now, when I think "best" and "worst" in terms of movie remakes, here are the first ones that spring to mind...

The Worst:

Superman Returns: I know this wasn't touted as an actual "remake", but anyone who saw both this and the original could attest to it being one. Even Kevin Spacey's great Lex Luthor couldn't counteract just the sheer "fail"-ness of this flick. They make Superman out to be, basically, a stalker.....following Lois Lane around like a lost puppy. Parker Posey's character was just annoying, but not near so much as the almost verbatim use of some of the lines from the original.

I think this one qualifies as a 'worst' because, even though it had so much potential, I was so disappointed in it.

In this case, I would have been happy if Superman hadn't returned.

The Wild, Wild, West:  While, technically, not a movie remake, it was a remake of one of my favorite television series of all times times and was so bad that it made me want to punch Wil Smith and Kevin Kline in their respective noses.

O.k, well, maybe it wasn't as bad as all that....but this one was pretty terrible.

First of all, the casting was waaaaay off and it doesn't even have anything to do with skin color. I didn't have a huge problem with James West being a 'buffalo soldier' as much as I did seeing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air pretending to be a Secret Service Agent. I mean, honestly, Wil Smith's acting chops are pretty extensive, but he just phoned this one in. Honestly, I think he was just in it for the paycheck and, unfortunately, it showed.

Kevin Kline, who I think is a great actor, honestly was no better. Even worse than Smith because he wasn't even credible as a 'whacky inventor' much less a Secret Service Agent. I'm sure Ross Martin was spinning in his grave over this one and I know Robert Conrad wasn't any happier. Kevin Branagh was, also, sorely miscast as a parody of the original Miguelito Loveless character portrayed by the great Michael Dunne. He must've been hard up for a paycheck, too.

This film should have stayed out West....far, out West.

(Dis)Honorable mentions for 'worst' also go out to:

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Arthur
The Nutty Professor

Now, on a brighter note, here are....

The Best:

The Manchurian Candidate:  While I've never been a huge Denzel Washington fan, I thought he was great in this remake of the old Sinatra classic. The story flowed nicely and, even though a few things were updated to reflect today's society, it still made sense and was a compelling story.

I've also never been a big Meryl Streep fan, either, but have to admit she nailed the part of Shaw's evil mother, originally portrayed by Angela Lansbury.

I had seen the original film in bits and pieces, but gave it a full watch before going to see this one. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

This remake has my vote.

Ocean's 11: This "Rat Pack" remake hit all the marks for me. Nice pacing, some cool twists, colorful characters and great leads. Clooney and Pitt worked well together. Now, granted, I could have done without Julia Roberts, but even her presence didn't take away from the slickness and tight story of this one.

While the cast didn't have the same savoir fare of the original, they still came off as pretty darn cool.

This remake hit the jackpot.

Honorable mentions for "best" also go to:

The Mechanic
True Grit
Planet of the Apes

So, how about you? What are your favorite...or least favorite....movie remakes?

Ninja Captain Alex's Top Ten Movie Countdown / Music Monday

I thought this was one of the most devious ideas yet, for a blog hop!

Yes, I said devious....I mean, think about it...having to narrow down years of movie experiences down to just ten films?? I'm sure Alex is just sitting there...cackling in maniacal glee at the quandary he's put me in!

O.k, I'm sure he's not...but still...this is a toughie. All the particulars, as well as a list of others doing this hop, can be found HERE.

I think it's going to take some thought so, while I do that, I'll leave you with a little tie in Music Monday selection from The Statler Brothers. An old country classic...The Movies. (And you thought I just liked surf music....)

O.k, I think I've had some time to think and here's my top ten movies, in descending order:

10. Trancers-- I loves me some cheesy, "B" movies and no studio does them better than Full Moon Pictures. Trooper Jack Deth, trancer hunter extraordinaire, is sent back in time to stop a madman from murdering the ancestors of The Council and sending Angel City (Old Los Angeles) into turmoil. The only catch...he has to inhabit the body of an ancestor to complete the trip. And the other catch....the ancestor of the madman is a respected police chief. Cult movie icon, Tim Thomerson stars with a very young Helen Hunt (before Mad About You) and Telma Hopkins (Tony Orlando and Dawn, Family Matters). While not really Oscar worthy, it still remains one of my most favorite 'fun flicks'.

9. Armageddon-- I really can't tell you why this movie is on my list....it just is. Every time, without fail, that I see this on t.v., I stop what I'm doing and watch it. Maybe it's just the idea of a bunch of misfits getting together to save the world, or maybe it's just the Bruce Willis/Ben Affleck dynamic, I'm not sure. This movie even made me stomach Billy Bob Thornton who plays a great role as a NASA coordinator, tasked with saving the world. This movie also has one of my most favorite quotes from a movie.

 Dr. Banks: [going through the roughnecks' medical reports] Fail. Fail. Depressively fail! One toxicology analysis revealed ketamin, that is a very powerful sedative!
Harry: Sedatives are used all the time, doctor.
Dr. Banks: Well this one's used on horses.
Harry: Some of these guys are pretty big.

8.  Charlie Chan-- This really encompasses any of the films made back in the 1940s and featuring the famous oriental sleuth created by author Earl Derr Biggers. I always enjoyed Charlie's little bits of wisdom "Mind like parachute...only works when open." and the bumblings of his well meaning, but inept, Number One Son. Again fun films from a simpler time.

7. The Thin Man-- Another film series that I've always enjoyed. William Powell and Myrna Loy had incredible chemistry which, in my opinion, was most of the reason for the series' success. Powell plays famous detective Nick Charles who marries the wealthy Nora, played by Loy, and try as they might, they just can't seem to stay out of trouble. Mysteries and snappy patter abound in these clever movies.

6. Casablanca-- A timeless classic that has it all. Romance, action, adventure, Nazis...the works. Humphrey Bogart plays the American expatriate, Rick and Ingrid Bergman is his long lost love, Ilsa. For me, though, some of the best parts are played by Claude Raines, Sidney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre at his creepiest.

5. The Avengers-- The movie that I didn't have a lot of faith in before it came out, but hit it out of the park when I saw it. I found it simply amazing how Whedon took such an ensemble cast, gave them each screen time, and still told an all encompassing story. Marvel really did it right with this one, I have to say. From the teasers in the separate films to the finished product, this movie really made it feel like I was watching a comic book come to life...and that's saying something.

4. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins-- Based on the old Destroyer novels and starring Fred Ward and Joel Gray, this action/adventure tale didn't fare well at the box office, but I've always found it to be just one of those 'fun' films I can watch over and over. I've tried giving the novels a read, but never got very far so I have to wonder just how well the film sticks to the original source material. Either way, though, I guess you could classify this as a 'cheesey' sort of movie, but I'm good with that. It does one of the things I feel movies should do, if nothing else, and that's entertain.

3. Back to the Future-- I've always loved time travel movies...especially one with as many twists and turns as this movie had. While I was never a huge fan of Michael J. Fox, I thought he was outstanding as the awkward teen who had to travel into the past to find the confidence to face the future. For me, though, the true star was Christopher Lloyd who played the 'slightly' eccentric, but father like figure of Doc Brown. This movie hit a lot of the right spots for me as far as blending action, sci-fi, romance (a tiny bit), and even teen angst into one great film.

2. Star Wars-- O.k, come on now...what self respecting, self professed, geek wouldn't have this one in their top ten? This came out at a time when sci-fi films weren't taken all that seriously. It started an almost cult like following among sci-fi fans as well as launched one of the biggest franchises in movie history. The hero's journey of Luke Skywalker is one I can watch again and again. Granted, I haven't been so enamored with the newer offerings as I was with the original but, to paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi, 'a more elegant movie for a simpler time'.


And my number one movie is.......

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark-- Ever since I was a kid, I've loved the old movie serials. Having seen quite a few of them overseas, I fell in love with the weekly cliffhangers and the larger than life heroes (and villains) who escaped dire peril week after week. This film was all that and more....on steroids. Harrison Ford is just awesome as adventurer/archaeologist Henry "Indiana" Jones. Initially, I wanted to see this movie because 'Han Solo was in it'....but it wasn't long before Raiders surpassed Star Wars as my favorite film. It has all the elements I love in a film....except for time travel...and I can forgive that because it's just that good a movie.

I always wonder how this movie would have done if the original choice to play Indy, Tom Selleck, had taken the role?





So, there you have it....my top ten films....and, let me tell you..this wasn't easy. Thanks, Alex, for hosting this and I'll look forward to seeing everyone else's entries.

As they used to say in the old movies...."See ya in the funny papers"