Movies/TV

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2013/04/11

The 77th Masters

Posted by db johnston under almost falling, Current events, Movies/TV | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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augusta

I used to think golf was boring, but I can now appreciate the drama: the sport is a psychological, internal chess-match that often develops into an intense finish between competitors.

Each year, The Masters is the first of golf’s four major tournaments. The venue — Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia — was founded and designed by legendary golfer Bobby Jones (with Cliff Roberts (co-founder) and Alister MacKenzie (co-designer)): Jones never turned professional — he was a lawyer and only played part-time — but won thirteen major championships.

Augusta was built on former flowering plant (Indigofera) orchards, and the course is stunning; unfortunately, the historic prejudice inherent in the club’s membership policies has lowered my esteem for this tournament below that of The Open, and maybe even the U.S Open. It wasn’t until 1990 that Augusta admitted black members, and in 2012 they finally admitted two female members.

Anyway, as to the tournament itself…

Will Eldrick Tont ‘Tiger’ Woods inch closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record of eighteen majors? (Nicklaus also finished second in majors an astounding nineteen times!). Tiger has fourteen major victories, and counting.

I’m old-fashioned, I suppose: I’d like to see Nicklaus’ record stand; I’m sure The Golden Bear was a driven man, difficult to get along with at times, but he remained an excellent role-model in the quagmire of mass-media, something that cannot be said of Mr. Woods. Nevertheless, if Tiger breaks the record, I’ll still applaud his ability.

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Some other (non-Tiger-related) stories:

Will Rory McIlroy round into form?

Will Phil Mickelson’s ‘Phrankenwood’ (a driver that is bigger than a 3-wood, but noticeably smaller than the drivers he normally uses).

Will somebody from Australia break the curse and finally win?

Will it take another Bubba-shot to win in a playoff?

Will an unexpected winner emerge?

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My daughters will mock me, but I’ll be glued to the television…

 

Update: Adam Scott won: the first Australian to win the Masters..

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2013/03/04

Cartoon Character Match-Making, Part I

Posted by db johnston under almost falling, Movies/TV | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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My database is woefully small, but I’m considering starting a cartoon version of Plenty of Fish:

My daughter was watching TV, and I caught a small sample of Turtle Princess (from a bizarre cartoon called  Adventure Time); I instantly thought of Touché Turtle, and I think the two are a perfect match…

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Turtle_princesstouche turtle.

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2012/11/25

Harvey

Posted by db johnston under Movies/TV, Quotes | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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My daughter, Brynne, wanted to watch a movie last night, and I suggested an old classic: Harvey (1950), a favorite of mine.

The movie is based on the Pulitzer-winning play by Mary Chase.

James Stewart portrayed mild-mannered Elwood P. Dowd, who enjoys whisky and martinis and  has an invisible friend; a pooka (from Celtic mythology: a benign, but mischievous creature), who resembles a six-foot, three and a half-inch rabbit.

James Stewart was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, and Josephine Hull won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of  Elwood’s Aunt, Veta Louise Simmons.

There is a wonderful message running through the movie, and my favorite line comes from Elwood P. Dowd:

“Years ago my mother used to say to me, she’d say, ‘In this world, Elwood, you must be’ – she always called me Elwood – ‘In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.’ Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.”

I highly recommend this charming, lighthearted movie.

P.S.: Brynne loved it.

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2012/07/12

The Rolling Stones; 50 years and counting

Posted by db johnston under Movies/TV | Tags: , , , , , , |
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The Rolling Stones — the band’s name was inspired by a Muddy Waters’ song, Rollin’ Stone — consider July 12, 1962 as their first performance, which took place on the stage of the Marquee Club in London. At the time, the group was; Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor, and Tony Chapman.

It was their music of the late 60s and early 70s that has a special place in my heart and memory; and, in particular, the three albums they created back-to-back-to-back that I think was the pinnacle of their artistic output: Beggars Banquet (1968), Let it Bleed (1969), and Sticky Fingers (1971). Their best music was wonderfully multilayered, unlike most rock.

I searched high and low for my absolute favourite Stone’s album, Let it Bleed, but could only find Sticky Fingers, an excellent album, but darker in tone, with songs like Sister Morphine and Dead Flowers.

The music of the Rolling Stones, along with rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, and Little Feat, are inextricably tied to my past.

While my wife and I drove to Cosco and back for groceries, we listened to Sticky Fingers, reminiscing and reveling in the deep cuts that we haven’t heard in years. I had bittersweet flash-memories of High School and College, of some friends that didn’t make it, and others that took different paths. I sent silent prayers to all of them.

It’s odd to see clips of the Stones performing as old men; I’ll always see them in my mind’s eye as the young, revolutionary, bad-boys of rock.

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2012/07/08

Spinach, iron, Popeye, and my youth

Posted by db johnston under almost falling, Movies/TV | Tags: , , , , , |
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The only reason I ate spinach when I was a kid was because I thought it might build my muscles and make me strong, like it did for Popeye. I asked my Mom, who told me that it was the high iron content in spinach that did the trick. It tasted like contaminated dirt, but I grinned and bore it, checking my biceps attentively after consumption.

But is spinach really such a great source of iron?

In 1870, a certain Dr. Emil von Wolf calculated that spinach has ten-times the iron of any other vegetable; so far, so good. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 1937 that anybody checked his calculations, and it turns out that spinach has about the same iron content as many other vegetables; apparently, Dr. von Wolf had misplaced a decimal point during his calculations (update 2012-08-20 (see comments): this part of the story appears to be an interesting  myth; it is vitamin A in spinach that was significant to Popeye’s creator; unfortunately, vitamin A is not known as a muscle-mass-increasing substance, so the thrust of my (hopefully) humorous post remains relevant).

Spinach does have a high nutritional value, rich in antioxidants, but Popeye’s choice of canned spinach is a low nutrient source compared to fresh, steamed, or quick-boiled. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, folate, magnesium, betaine, vitamin B2, potassium, calcium, vitamin B6, folic acid, phosphorous, zinc, niacin, copper, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. And yes, it is a good source of iron, just not as magnificent as my boyhood self, with toothpick arms, had anticipated.

Popeye’s bulging biceps after consuming a can of spinach must have been due to the placebo effect.

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2012/05/19

1960s Cartoon Characters.

Posted by db johnston under History, Movies/TV | Tags: , , , , , , |
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When I was young I spent my Saturday mornings in our ‘TV room’, watching cartoons (and this may help to explain how I got to be the way I am…). There wasn’t anything else on TV on Saturday mornings (well, perhaps the other channel, though quite snowy, would be broadcasting stale news); the cartoon characters below are some of the most memorable (and a couple I only recall because of their odd names):

Loopy De Loop

Tennessee Tuxedo & Chumley

Atom Ant

Quick Draw McGraw (aka El Kabong), & Snuffles, his dog

Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole

Squiddly Diddly

Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-A-Long Coyote

Peter Potamus

Super Snooper and Blabber Mouse

Dudley Do-Right

Snagglepuss

Commander McBragg

Top Cat

 

Touché Turtle & Dum Dum

Yosemite Sam

Deputy Dawg

The Mighty Heros (Strong Man, Rope Man, Tornado Man & Diaper Man)

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2012/02/20

The Secret World of Arrietty

Posted by db johnston under Movies/TV | Tags: , , , , , |
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My daughter (Brynne) and I saw the latest Studio Ghibli movie, The Secret World of Arrietty, yesterday. Brynne is a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki/Ghibli movies.

Arrietty was adapted by Hayao Miyazaki from Mary Norton’s novel, The Borrowers. The movie was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a long-time Ghibli animator. The ‘borrowers’ are actually ‘takers’, but they’re quite tiny and take very little, so I’ll give them a pass…

I always enjoy the animation of a Ghibli film, but I find that the stories can feel disjointed (perhaps the Japanese tell tales differently than I’m used to); this film, however, was a smooth plot from beginning to ending. The story itself was simple, except for the fact that there were miniature (ten centimeter high) people living under the floorboards of a home, but it was presented in a manner that made the mundane feel magical. There was no ‘good versus evil’ of the usual Disney film; instead, the story was an innocent, first-but-hopeless love story between Arrietty and the sickly young Shawn (a normal-sized boy) amid some humor and conflict (the conflict was mainly initiated by the housekeeper who also provided comic relief).

I paid particular attention to the art and was quite impressed: the details in the background scenery were spectacular, there were vibrant colors throughout, and I really appreciated the look of the 2D work: it felt warmer, richer and even had more depth than the typical 3D work that is the standard these days. The animation had a surreal quality that was appealing.

Brynne thoroughly enjoyed the movie: she placed in within the top five or so of Miyazaki’s movies, but it didn’t topple any of her favorite three (which are, in no particular order, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke).

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Miyazaki’s works, or anyone who enjoys an animated feature that doesn’t rely on evil villains, explosions, or high-octane excitement.

 

2012/01/22

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: the movie

Posted by db johnston under Movies/TV | Tags: , , , |
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I watched the movie version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy yesterday (it’s based on the John le Carré novel).

It was well done and followed the book faithfully. I had a few small quibbles, but nothing that ruined the film at all.

At first, I didn’t like the casting of Gary Oldman as George Smiley: he doesn’t suit my vision (and I’m not sure who would); but, after shaking my head in consternation once,  I decided that a movie is a different medium than the book and I should get over it. Oldman did a fine job.

The acting was first-rate, and the mood of the film fit the story well.

 

It wasn’t a luminous movie, but it was very good. I’m not sure how cohesive it would be if a viewer hadn’t read the book, but I was able to follow the story easily (I always prefer to read the book before watching its movie version. After watching this movie I want to re-read the novel).

Recommended

 

2011/11/02

75 years of CBC

Posted by db johnston under History, Movies/TV, Music | Tags: , , , , |
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The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is celebrating its 75th anniversary today. I’ve never watched much CBC TV (except for Hockey Night in Canada, of course), but their FM radio programs (now referred to as CBC Radio 2) were my companions for twenty years while commuting to work and back; in fact, I garnered a fair comprehension of classical and jazz music during the commutes. I don’t listen to CBC radio as much as I used to (the programming has changed, I suppose to appeal to a younger audience), but I fully appreciate the music I was exposed to for those lonely trips to work and back.

Congratulations to the CBC on 75 years of quality programming!

Click on the Logo to see CBC’s Logo retrospective…

 

2011/09/03

Free eBooks

Posted by db johnston under Interesting stuff, Movies/TV | Tags: , , |
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I’m a bit behind the technological changeover to the world of eBooks (I’ve read a grand total of 1), but if you have a portable device (or like to read on your PC), check out  Project Gutenberg, which is an on-line resource that  offers free eBooks (over 36,000 titles); it is a volunteer run site and the eBooks are offered free because their copyrights have expired.

Another great site — especially if you enjoy old black and white movies (look under Moving Images on the site) — is The Internet Archive 

 

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