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Posts tagged ‘reviews’

May 5

1 Comment

Star Trek Into Darkness with JR. Forasteros

moving the podcast – from June 5, 2013

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I have adored JR. Forasteros practically from the first Storymen video. His laugh is contagious, his enthusiasm is infectious, and wow, I just made him sound like a virus.

But JR. truly is a story man, and that’s something we have in common. Except for the man part. Anyway, we both love stories and characters and really great movies. Like Star Trek Into Darkness!

I was thrilled when JR. agreed to come on the podcast, and it was pure joy to talk about something I love with someone who loves it too. (Bonus points if you can guess how many times we say “right!” to each other.)

JR Title

0:00 ~ Storyman (and trekkie) JR. Forasteros
6:20 ~ reviewing the reboot
12:05 ~ Khaaaannn!
15:35 ~ growing up vs growing old (a Wrath of Khan comparison)
20:25 ~ a non-trekkie viewpoint
22:50 ~ relationships & character stuff
27:25 ~ bras and panties
30:10 ~ boldly going where they’ve never been before?

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Connect with JR.
on his blog JRForasteros.com
on Twitter @jrforasteros
on Facebook
at Storymen.us

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References
Matt Mikalatos ~ mikalatos.com
Clay Morgan ~ claywrites.com
Monster Squad (pre-Storymen videos) ~ Why We Are Attracted to Monsters
The Pros and Cons of “Star Trek Into Darkness” Mystery Villian (Matt Singer review)
Star Trek Into Darkness (JR.’s review)
Movie Quote Monday – Star Trek Into Darkness (my sort-of review)

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Mar 16

7 Comments

Movie Quote Monday – Saturday Night Fever

I found Saturday Night Fever in the $5 discount bin and thought, “Why not?”

The movie centers around 19-year-old Tony, who’s stagnating in his Brooklyn neighborhood after graduating high school. He’s in a dead-end job and lives at home with parents who are beyond unsupportive. His mother only seems to care about his priest brother, and his father ridicules his successes and goes out of his way to make him feel like nothing. Tony’s surrounded by friends who idolize him, but just like him they’re going nowhere.

His respite comes in the form of dancing on Saturday nights at a disco, 2001 Odyssey, where he’s a local dance hero. That’s where he first sees Stephanie and is captivated by her dancing. He pursues her, but at 21, and seemingly moving up in the world, Stephanie sees herself as ages apart from Tony:

Stephanie:  You work in a paint store, right? You pro’bly live wit’ your family, you hang out wit’ your buddies, and on Saturday night you go and you blow it all off at the 2001. Right?
–Tony:  That’s right.
Stephanie:  You’re a cliché. You’re nowhere. On your way to no place.

Stephanie is almost desperate to move to Manhattan, where everything is “beautiful, just beautiful.” I can’t decide if it’s admirable or just heartbreaking the way she’s constantly correcting her own speech, trying to scrub the Brooklyn out of it every time they have a conversation. Her brutal honesty with Tony can be hard to tolerate, and I found myself wondering why he continues to pursue such a caustic woman. Except what he sees in her, whether he knows it or not, is the next level up – something beyond where he is now. And she’s only telling him what he already thinks himself:

 

Tony:  The thing is, the high I get at 2001 is just  dancin’, it’s not, it’s not bein’ the best or nothing like that. The whole thing is that I would like to get that high someplace else in my life, you know.
–Stephanie:  Like where?
Tony:  I don’t know where, I don’t know. Someplace. You see, dancin’, it can’t last forever, it’s a short-lived kind of thing. But I’m gettin’ older, you know, an’… You know, I feel like, I feel like, you know… So what? I’m gettin’ older; does that mean like I can’t feel that way about nothing left in my life, you know? Is that it?

I popped in this movie to play in the background one night while I did other things. But almost immediately I couldn’t stop watching. It was just…compelling. I’m not saying I loved this movie. There were parts that I didn’t enjoy and parts that made me super uncomfortable. I just couldn’t take my eyes off it.

Saturday Night Fever came out in 1977, and writer Norman Wexler refused to pull any punches in his script. Watching this in 2015, the foul language is nothing too surprising. However, the cultural slurs were quite jarring, and nothing was left out: racial, ethnic, homophobic, misogynistic, you name it. Wexler wanted the script true to the scene, real and, to use his own word, gritty. Though I didn’t like hearing it, I have to say I agree with him. Because this is the story of a moment in time. A moment in time for a handful of characters, for a family, a community, for a culture, an era, and a social consciousness.

But what makes this story, and other snapshot films like it, so iconic, so compelling? Ultimately I think it’s that many of us have had these moments, these almost frozen moments when we’re asking ourselves what’s next. Where should I go from here? Times in our lives when we know things can’t stay the same; even if we stay right where we are, it won’t feel the same. The moment will have passed us by.

And maybe we live these moments over and over again, of change and choice and uncertainty. 

I guess really what movies like this are asking is, who am I? And more, who do I want to be?

And I think many of us, however old we get, are still – and will always be – asking ourselves that question.

 

Mar 5

4 Comments

A Year in the 80’s – 1981 No. 1’s

A Quick Look Back

Population: 229,465,714
Life expectancy: 74.1 years
New Home: $68,900
New Car: $7,500
Median Income: $13,773
Stamp: $ .18
Regular Gas: $1.13
Bread: $ .54
Gal of Milk: $1.69

 And here are the Number One’s for 1981!

Movies

Oscars
Best Picture: Chariots of Fire
Best Director: Warren Beatty, Reds
Best Actor: Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond
Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond

Highest Grossing Films
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark ($212,222,025)
2.  On Golden Pond ($119,285,432)
3.  Superman II ($108,185,706)
4.  Arthur ($95,461,682)
5.  Stripes ($85,297,000)

Remember These Movies?
Taps
The Cannonball Run
Continental Divide
Endless Love
The Fan
The Four Seasons
The Howling
Absence of Malice
Sharky’s Machine
Pennies from Heaven

Music

Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: Christopher Cross for Christopher Cross
Record of the Year: Christopher Cross for Sailing
Best New Artist: Christopher Cross
*The only Artist (so far) to sweep all categories in the same year

Pop Female Vocal: Bette Midler for The Rose
Pop Male Vocal: Kenny Loggins for This Is It
Pop Duo/Group: Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb for Guilty

Rock Female Vocal: Pat Benatar for Crimes of Passion
Rock Male Vocal: Billy Joel for Glass Houses
Rock Duo/Group: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band for Against the Wind

Country Female Vocal: Anne Murray for Could I Have This Dance?
Country Male Vocal: George Jones for He Stopped Loving Her Today
Country Duo/Group: Emmylou Harris & Roy Orbison for That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again

Billboard Top Singles
1.  Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
2.  Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
3.  Lady – Kenny Rogers
4.  (Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon
5.  Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield

Remember These Songs?
Morning Train (Nine to Five) by Sheena Easton
Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton
Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys
Passion by Rod Stewart
Somebody’s Knockin by Terri Gibbs
America by Neil Diamond
Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police
Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen

Television

Emmy Awards
Outstanding Drama: Hill Street Blues (NBC)
Best Actor, Drama: Daniel J. Travanti as Captain Frank Furillo, Hill Street Blues (NBC)
Best Actress, Drama: Barbara Babcock as Grace Gardner, Hill Street Blues (NBC)

Outstanding Comedy: Taxi, (ABC)
Best Actor, Comedy: Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger, Taxi (ABC)
Best Actress, Comedy: Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson, The Jeffersons (CBS)

Top Shows
1981 – 1982    (Households with TV: 81,500,000)

1. Dallas (CBS) 23,146,000
2. 60 Minutes (CBS) 22,575,500
3. The Jeffersons (CBS) 19,071,000
4. Three’s Company (ABC) 18,989,500
5. Alice (CBS) 18,500,500
6. The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS) 18,419,000
7. Too Close for Comfort (ABC) 18,419,000
8. ABC Monday Night Movie (ABC) 18,337,500
9. M*A*S*H (CBS) 18,174,500
10. One Day at a Time (CBS) 17,930,000

Remember These Shows?
Lewis & Clark (81 – 82)
The Two of Us (81 – 82)
Father Murphy (81- 83)
Bret Maverick (81 – 82)
Flamingo Road (81 – 82)
Harper Valley P.T.A. (81 – 82)
Strike Force (81 – 82)
McClain’s Law (81 – 82)
Private Benjamin (81 – 83)
Walt Disney (81 – 83)
Greatest American Hero (81 – 83)
Fall Guy (81 – 86)
Gimme a Break (81- 87)
Simon and Simon (81 – 95)

What else do you remember from 1981?

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References:
Music Outfitters
The Cost of Living
1980’s Flashback
In the 80’s
Classic TV Hits

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Feb 5

7 Comments

A Year in the 80’s – 1980 No. 1’s

A Quick Look Back

Population: 227,224,681
Life expectancy:  73.7 years
New Home: $64,600
New Car: $7,200
Median Income: $ 12,513
Stamp: $ .15
Regular Gas: $ 1.25
Bread: $ .48
Gal of Milk: $ 1.60

And here are the Number One’s for 1980!

Movies

Oscars
Best Picture: Ordinary People
Best Director: Robert Redford for Ordinary People
Best Actor: Robert De Niro for Raging Bull
Best Actress: Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner’s Daughter

Highest Grossing Films
1.  The Empire Strikes Back ($209,398,025)
2.  9 to 5 ($103,290,500)
3.  Stir Crazy ($101,300,000)
4.  Airplane! ($83,453,539)
5.  Any Which Way You Can ($70,687,344)

Remember These Movies?
Little Darlings
My Bodyguard
Private Benjamin
The Blues Brothers
The Jazz Singer
American Gigolo
The Fog
Altered States
Stardust Memories

Music

Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: Billy Joel for 52nd Street
Record of the Year: The Doobie Brothers for What a Fool Believes
Best New Artist: Rickie Lee Jones

Pop Female Vocal: Dionne Warwick for I’ll Never Love This Way Again
Pop Male Vocal: Billy Joel for 52nd Street
Pop Duo/Group: The Doobie Brothers for Minute by Minute

Rock Female Vocal: Donna Summer for Hot Stuff
Rock Male Vocal: Bob Dylan for Gotta Serve Somebody
Rock Duo/Group: The Eagles for Heartache Tonight

Country Female Vocal: Emmylou Harris for Blue Kentucky Girl
Country Male Vocal: Kenny Rogers for The Gambler
Country Duo/Group: The Charlie Daniels Band for The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Billboard Top Singles
1.  Call Me – Blondie
2.  Another Brick in the Wall, Part II – Pink Floyd
3.  Magic – Olivia Newton-John
4.  Rock with You – Michael Jackson
5. Do That to Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille

Remember These Songs?
Funkytown by Lipps Inc.
Steal Away by Robbie Dupree
Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia
Ladies’ Night by Kool & the Gang
Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders
On the Radio by Donna Summer
Fame by Irene Cara
Take the Long Way Home by Supertramp
Sara by Fleetwood Mac
Rapper’s Delight by Sugarhill Gang

Television

Emmy Awards
Outstanding Drama: Lou Grant (CBS)
Best Actor, Drama: Edward Asner as Lou Grant, Lou Grant (CBS)
Best Actress, Drama: Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing, Dallas (CBS)

Outstanding Comedy: Taxi (ABC)
Best Actor, Comedy: Richard Mulligan as Burt Campbell, Soap (ABC)
Best Actress, Comedy: Cathryn Damon as Mary Campbell, Soap, (ABC)

Top Shows
1980 – 1981    (Households with TV: 79,900,000)

1. Dallas (CBS) 27,565,500
2. The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS) 21,812,700
3. 60 Minutes (CBS) 21,573,000
4. M*A*S*H (CBS) 20,534,300
5. The Love Boat (ABC) 19,415,700
6. The Jeffersons (CBS) 18,776,500
7. Alice (CBS) 18,297,100
8. House Calls (CBS) 17,897,600
9. Three’s Company (ABC) 17,897,600
10. Little House on the Prairie (NBC) 17,657,900

Remember These Shows?
That’s Incredible (80 – 84)
Too Close For Comfort (80 – 86)
Magnum P.I. (80 – 88)
Bosom Buddies (80- 82)
Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters (80 – 82)
Facts of Life (79 – 88)
Trapper John, M.D. (79 – 86)
Real People (79 – 84)
Benson (79 – 86)

What else do you remember from 1980?

References:

Music Outfitters
The Cost of Living
1980’s Flashback
In the 80’s
Classic TV Hits

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