esrosedotblog

Today's movie has not been released yet.

I don't know how I got a copy but somewhere I read about it and then ordered it through Amazon. And here it is. Was.

Steel

A high pressure guy has some panic attacks. Serious enough to take some time off.

He finds a young man to hang around with. In a bar.

They have a great time together.

Then, we get to the suspenseful part.

And I will not tell you about it.

The surprise in here reminds me of similar films from the 30s or 40s in which people fall in love only to find out that their lover is not what they seemed. Not unusual in itself but in a magical realism way, good.

I have seen many films like this in my lifetime but none for a long time.

So, try it. I already bought it and will see it again. The leads are very handsome and sexy and there is a lot of skin to look at. Alluring and, actually, a surprisingly good story.

A 5 out of Netflix5 since I already know I will see it again.

Labels: films, gay films

I escaped my normal lunch routine today.

I went out and had a hamburger at IN-N-OUT. Yep, that is how it is written.

This small chain is only in the southwest and has, reputedly, the best hamburgers of any fast food place.

I cannot attest to that as I have not been to all of the others. But I do like IN-N-OUT very much.

It is a bit out of the way, all the way out Ramon and across the 10 but it is worth the trip. Sometimes. When I feel the deep urge.

I take it as an experience. IN-N-OUT. A whole range of people but not the "huddled masses". A more select group of humanity that is willing to take an extra step for goodness. Or something. It does have a bit of an elitist tinge. For a burger joint that is pretty good.

This is high season so it was a largish crowd. I waited 15 minutes at most. Five outside then ten inside on line.

I just had the regular burger, two of them as they are small, with fries and a chocolate shake.

The fries are exemplary. Thin and crispy and mine were nicely well done. The shake is a shake and a bit small but enough. Filling. Not the plastic quality that a lot of the out-of-a-machine shakes have.

My main point of comparison with these places would be Friendly's back east. But they are not alike at all. Friendly's is a real restaurant, sort of. IN-N-OUT is a fast food joint.

It was a nice break. The food left no aftertaste. A sure sign of inferiority when it happens. That and indigestion. None of that either. And I got home in reasonable time. Just ready for my mid-day nap.

There is nothing like a well done gay teen love movie.

And today, we have

Jongen / Boys (2014)

This has just about everything. Two young athletes meet and get close as they practice relay together.

One thing leads to another. A kiss.

Then some more closeness. Very sweet.

Then the drag of the closet which somehow they avoid.

There is a best friend who is left out. A father who is clueless. A bad boy older brother who may emerge as the good son but not likely as both brothers love one another clearly.

There are many ways a film like this can be messed up and they have avoided all the traps.

A 5 out of Netflix5 for sure. I was uncertain about it but I will buy this DVD.

Labels: films, gay films

I am always interested when the professional religious get their dick caught in the wringer.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with that if they kept their diddling within the frame of their sermons.

In this case a 14 year old girl is involved.

A Spiritual Leader Gains Stature, Trailed by a Troubled Past

He is also accused of some other things like plagiarism. He took some chapters out of another guy's book.

Of course, the evangelicals have always had something like this in their stories. Saved from depravity. Redemption from sins committed. It is good fodder for the followers. Also some nice sex spices it up.

When I was a church organist I caught some of the energy from the congregation side. Projection, fascination, fantasy.

It is inevitable. So it is not surprising the some preacher would want to taste some of the sinners as well as the sin.

It is all part of the usual hypocrisy. Another day in the pulpit.

Labels: christers

I am totally ignorant of the world of animo films.

Cartoon features made in Japan with a lot of wide eyed people.

I am not likely to start watching but I was fascinated to see inside one of the major studios that produces these films.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2014)

I liked it a lot. A high 3 out of Netflix5.

I am not likely to view any of these features but that is not the point of the film.

The "stars" are the founders of Ghibli, the company that turns these films out.

Their process is collegial but also autocratic. A nice blend of influence styles going on here.

You cannot beat success.

These are very engaging people and the documentary is interesting from beginning to end. A 3 out of Netflix5.

This preview trailer is in Japanese. Sorry. But you can see the beautiful photography and the people at work.

The film is subtitled.

Labels: films

I always liked the Dickens model of Christmas.

Three different pictures of the day; the past, the future and the present.

It helps me not to Scrooge out on a day like this and remember that today is the only day I have (yeh, a cliché´, right?) and the other two are miasmas.

But it has been OK to have drifting memories, the nice ones. For some reason the past has become a lot milder and pleasant. My Dad cutting a tree off our little woods lot. The trees my wife and I had together as each kid came along. One actually born on Christmas. Hi Sara!

The year John had separated but somehow ended up having dinner with his Mom and his best friend Bill.

Was that Christmas? Or New Years?

And so on.

It is a nice walk down memory lane and if I can stay on the healthy side with it, a time for gratitude for all the good things that have happened to me in my (now longer than expected) life.

Which brings up the future. Something I think about but no longer obsess over.

For one thing, the worries about what is down the road are gone.

Somewhere, along the path, I lost the nagging anxiety in my chest, the ache of anticipation. Wow. It is just not there. Talk about the gift of time.

My Dad once told me that everything he worried about in life turned out to be OK.

The best advice/non-advice I ever got.

My Dad was a great guy. Tough as nails and all mush on the inside. There were difficult times with us but in the last years, a warm and abiding love and sharing about stuff occurred which is a gift for all seasons and still abides with me.

I know he was proud of me and toward the end he told me how happy he was that I finally ended up safe and secure.

He even sucked up the news that I was gay and soldiered on. I remember the first time he met John.

It was nerve wracking. But as we sat at the dining room table I realized that he and my husband were sharing Navy stories, ships they had been on and all that. They had found a stout rope to tie themselves together. One that did not involve me. But that was not this holiday. Some other time. But it still comes up. The main men in my life.

Well not to get too soppy about it. Sentimental. Nostalgic.

What about the present? I just lit the tree we have used for a few years. It is the very best one. A "spruce" which will live forever. All white lights. There are some nice packages underneath. We have a happy home and it is very peaceful this morning.

I was going to sleep in late but only made an hour until four. This is my week off from the gym and I have enjoyed it but sleeping in has not really been much of a benefit. I am awake and up. The habits of an "old man" who has no idea he is old. Another blessing.

Our plans for the day are simple, I think. We will take our time and open gifts. Later there will be a full bird chicken dinner. Then after we will all get in the car and go look at holiday lights all around the desert. An annual rite.

And that will be enough.

When I got up the wind was howling! And then it stopped.

When Marcus and I went out to pee it was beautiful and calm.

An apt metaphor.

Calm after the storm.

Kind of cheesy but there you are.

Have a good day wherever you are. And Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas.

Labels: holidays

I almost baled out of today's film.

Capital Games (2013)

It was hardly reviewed, went straight to DVD and there it rests.

Peacefully. Not too much action.

It is classical Doris Day/Rock Hudson fare if Doris swung for the same team as Rock.

But once things get started and you meet the guys, the hand moves away from the Q key and one relaxes over what is a tame story but fun to watch.

And the tables turn nicely. I won't tell the outcome but there are a number of movie tropes which are familiar and fun to see gay guys go through them.

I might even order this one but I need to think about it.

In the meantime it is a Netflix3 out of 5.

Labels: films, gay films

Today's film is another coming out/ coming of age film.

The Surface (2015)

It is pretty good. Which is not an acclaim or even damning with faint praise.

It is hard to put an original spin on the eternal gay teen coming out story but it is always interesting to see a different take or even the same take as before.

I have said here before that gay men hunger to see gay movies and books. We did so long without. Still starved.

If you are new to gay life this is a very reassuring movie. There are no vicious queens, well maybe a catty ex-boy-friend with an alcohol problem. But then that is part of the scene.

The main character here is a swimmer hence the title and metaphor.

It is all good.

A 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films, gay films

Moving to sunny California certainly canceled the idea of a "white Christmas" for us.

But the reality this week is even bleaker.

Cloudy and damp and gloomy all the day.

We are persevering nonetheless.

Onward and upward.

And upward, there is now some white stuff on the highest mountains.

It has not only been unseasonably warm it continues to be a drought here.

Seasons? What happened to seasons? I notice that even back East the idea of global warming seems to get hammered home each year.

But, I am not to be deterred.

The tree looks great and the lights outside shine and glisten. It is our compensation for snow.

In the meantime, the holidays bear down. I am prepared.

Remember that tomorrow is my husband's birthday.

The little boy in a manager will take second fiddle.

Santa will not provide these gifts only wrapped today.

He has ordered his own cake. OK by me.

It is funny how over the years these holidays break down into some basic ideas.

Get the other person what you want. Let them do the work if they want to. And, above all, get over it and be ready for the resumption of a normal way of life around January 2d.

Labels: holidays

I had some hopes for todays movie despite reviews.

Silly me.

Best Man Down (2103)

I should reconstruct my decision making so that I do not pass this way again.

Labels: films

Being gay in Wales has to be a trial as, perhaps, all of life is a trial in Wales.

This gay teen coming out film has all the familiar tropes. Some work, some do not.

Dream On (2013)

I have to admit that one demerit goes because of the looks of the cast. Most are not very good looking. Bad Brit teeth and so on.

This is the problem with the gritty new cinema. No dreams about this crowd.

The accents are not difficult for a change. There are some good supportive straight people. And the first love stuff is nice. A bit zitzy but nice. Red dots to not attract me much.

I will not own this but it is nice to see all that's on offer from Great Britain who is somewhere back there on the gay film track but gaining.

I cannot find a trailer. A first. That big a flop I suppose.

Labels: films, gay films

This month marks my 13th year writing this blog.

You can see the history to the right. Click on "Archives" to see them. I cannot. It is history.

At one time I figured I would give myself a history of things but that has changed.

I do it now for a few people who read the blog, it is easier than sending emails all the time, and for me. I still do not go back and read much of it. But it provides a sense of self in a world where this is a bit scarce.

Self. I quit work work in 1979. Went off the road and quit the business.

So work and the business no longer define me.

I used to kind of hang out in my old place's web site but the company got a new management and I lost interest. I do not look in any more.

And little by little my business persona has all but disappeared.

I am still in touch with an old business partner on a very occasional basis. And one special wonderful client friend and I are still together. A blessing.

There is my family of course and, it turns out, the blog has not replaced letters "home". I still send email updates. Especially for the kind of things I would not put in the blog.

There are some interesting stats though.

I have made 11536 postings.

Holy shit.

There have been 110,968 viewings. So ten times the number of posts. Ten readers each post. Including me. I do not think that I read each post ten times. So, someone do the math. Or not.

Not a big universe.

But I am writing for me

So it has been a long time project for me. I am usually done with stuff well before this.

I did give the blog up for about 4 months once then re-instituted it. I wrote to everyone I knew to let them know it was back. A burp.

So. I will continue. A day at a time.

Labels: blog, blogging

In the old days, westerns and cop movies came in A or B categories.

The "B's" were the Saturday afternoon features that kept the theater warm. In my little town, the county seat, these all played at the Plaza Theater. A kind of sleazy house that had more action in the seats than on the screen.

Now, one of the fruits of gay liberation (so to speak) are B gay films. Today's movie is surely one of them.

200 American (2003)

I am puzzled about the title. What?

But that is part of the problem. The film doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Mostlly it is a version of the "falling in love with the hustler" fllm like that one with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. That film is even mentioned in this film. Duh!

But I still watched it all and mostly enjoyed it. The sex scenes are not very sexy but the guys are good to look at and they sure are trying. Things move slowly enough that you can make your own fantasy out of it.

A 2 out of Netflix 5. Sat through the whole thing and resisted FF.

Labels: films, gay films

Ms. Clinton went above the fray in last night's debate and went after the GOoPers.

In Democratic Debate, Hillary Clinton’s Focus Is on G.O.P.

Good for her.

It is a good example for the other side who are wrangling themselves into a frazzle.

It is not good for them to be doing it but I will be the last one to tell them to stop.

First there are so many of them it is hard to focus. Second, Trump sucks the air out of the room. He is a disrupter. A bloviator.

He demands a response so the rest of them scramble to keep up with his latest.

In the meantime, the Demos can have their debates and the primary to solidify the rank and file to get ready for the big one which now, according to Predictwise goes to the Democrats by a wide wide margin. Landslide size.

Labels: Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton

This is an AIDS film.

That is to say that it takes place in and around the time that HIV infections first began to appear.

House of Boys (2009)

is a rather provocative title but it does grab one's attention for the broader message about the onset of the HIV virus and its effects on people of the time.

Or people at the present time. The plague continues to spread worldwide.

It was first spotted among gay people and it is now part of our history. A sad benchmark.

But this film is pretty good. It is entertaining and delivers its message fairly well.

The house with boys in it is just what you would expect. We see little of that. They have made it mostly a gay cabaret and drag show but we know what the deal really is upstairs.

The main character is an innocent boy from the provinces who becomes a star in the drag show. As his hot little self. Not in a wig.

The film has some well known actors in it. It is very well done.

AIDS comes in the second half and it is devastating. There is no candy coating here. None.

The ravages of those early days were spectacular and they are all on display.

Some may not want to look this in the eye but it is realistic and deserves attention. It is what the film is about. See it.

This is a 3 out of Netflix5 because while I liked the film I would not want to see it again. It is a complete experience and once is enough.

Labels: films, gay films

Two days to see, again, this powerful movie.

Yo soy la felicidad de este munro / I Am Happiness On Earth (2014)

Sort of three movies in one. Or maybe four.

And at the end it turns back on itself and begins at the beginning again.

It is a lot like those French films like La Ronde and others--50s and 60s films--that showed the cycle of love and life, going around and around.

Songs have been sung, books have been written. And, here, another movie.

I do not mean to minimize it.

I own this film and return to it every so often because it is such a luscious bath of color and action. The sex is quite near X-rated quality. Erections allowed. There are men, women, three ways, about everything but the pony. Pansexual.

I really really like this film and am happy to see it again and again.

It always has surprises, the ones I forgot and the ones that are new.

Julian Hernandez, auteur. Mexico.

A 5 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films, gay films

Maybe we will have to move back east again.

Well, not again but "back east" as a noun. A place.

Look at this. The drought here is very serious.

Infographic 209 drought maps show just how thirsty California has become

Take a look. Scroll down and watch it happen.

Soon there will be locusts.

But I will stay. I hate moving.

Labels: drought

This should help The Donald along.

Vladimir Putin Chides Turkey, Praises Trump and Talks Up Russia’s Economy

Of course, that could be a result of Vlad's clever assessment that no one would play into his hands more readily than the bluster-bus that is running for the GOoPer nomination.

There is no question that Trump is serious and that his supporters are equally so.

Chilling.

His funny faces not withstanding.

While we are compiling our weasel list, let's put the Trumper on it.

He is one scary sonofabitch.

Labels: Donald Trump

I have been watching this guy cavort across the internet.

Drug C.E.O. Martin Shkreli Arrested on Fraud Charges

He is a real weasel.

Fun to watch run around in its pen but bad to tangle with.

You can see the weasel-ness in his eyes. The smirk on his nasty little face.

What is a mystery to me is why and how anyone would have bought into his schemes.

It is amusing that they call him a "Drug CEO".

That means that he bought the rights to a drug that a lot of people need and immediately jacked the price up to an exorbitant amount.

I am sure he didn't mean to hurt anyone. Just the government perhaps who had to pay the co-pay on the drug.

In any case, guys like this come and go.

In my time as a public management trainer I occasionally saw this type. Cutting the corners, smirking in the back row. Looking for a few confederates to enjoy his shit.

The bad boy in the classroom.

I enjoyed taking them down but usually they turned at some point. They ran out of steam. And, it was my job to let them see and hear from others that they were not winning friends with their antics.

But some of them missed my class. Some of them didn't get kicked around by their mates.

I was good with these guys because I was one of them. Perhaps I still am. The inner weasel is still there.

I remember, in a very early job, a manager telling me that I would go far unless someone kicked the shit out of me first.

I believed that person and amended my behavior enough not to get caught.

The thing about weasels is that it takes one to know one. Apparently there are enough Feds around who get what these guys are like to catch them in the act.

One more thing. See that drawing? Weasels are cute. But they will be mean little bastards if you let them.

Labels: business, weasels

Not a lot is happening here.

More to the point, no films (I am midway through a long one) and the house got cleaned today. Marcus and I had to stay ahead of the mops.

So. More tomorrow.

It is the holiday season. Cut some slack.

Labels: blogging

Third disc of last season's Big Bang Theory.

I have written so much about this great series that I will not go on and on and on about it.

My inner and outer nerds are more than satisfied.

Here, the cast talks about the season.

Labels: television

Every now and then I watch a muckraking movie just to keep my perspective balanced.

Today's film features many of my old corporate clients. Only this time it is all about what a bunch of deceitful bastards they are.

Merchants of Doubt (2015)

If you think that industries under fire for bad things try to defend themselves then you are right. Why not?

But sometimes they use unethical means to do their work. This is sort of the message of this film.

It is the "sort of" part that is hard to decipher.

I have no doubt that the people who make fire retardant materials try to deflect criticism over their use. But then, what?

We live in a complex society and so the consumer always has to watch his or her ass.

Buyer beware.

Then there are bigger issues what affect us communally. The environment, warming. All that.

There is a lot of soap box in this film and not many suggestions on an alternative to just being a better, wiser consumer. Or something.

Some of us belly up to the bar and buy this shit anyway.

I am not too disturbed by any of it. I worry about long term affects. But I do not know what else I can do except to vote for people who might be good at turning these barbarians back at the gates.

A 3 out of Netflix5.

A little more fire in the belly please. Too sedate.

Labels: environment, films

I went to the DMV to schedule my written test to renew my driver's license.

It wasn't too bad. I didn't have to stand in line too long. I had made an appointment. But they made you stand in line anyway. It would not be the DMV experience otherwise. Standards.

They are pretty smooth. And nice. And at least for me who bridles at any form of authority, painless.

They seem to know that most of us do not want to be there. Perhaps they do not want to be there either.

But we have a job to do.

I do not begrudge the testing especially for the codger. Me, now.

It is worrisome that in a place like Palm Springs, over half the drivers are geriatric.

In a way, I wish that the tests were more frequent but somewhere, somehow, some social scientist studied this and found that seven is the right number.

I liked the egalitarianism of it all. The good natured camaraderie (check out that first time spell right) of it all.

The friendly nod. The knowing glance.

And the people, the guy, at the desk. Competent and quick and helpful.

Of course, this is just the appointment.

They give the ability to schedule on line and I tried that. No dice.

Bruce La Bruce, writer and director, explores new ground here.

At least for gay cinema.

The straight Hollywood film makers have recognized the attraction of films about young and old lovers.

It is a universal theme really. We are all going to get old and there is always going to be an abundant supply of young people for the old to dote on.

Gay film has focused so on youth that it is a surprise to find this film and also to find it so sexy.

Gerontophilia (2015)

A coined word, actually, which doesn't ever go through the spellcheck.

The love of old people, sexuality implied.

In this film it is quite easy to accept the relationship between an orderly in an old persons "home" and a sweet gay man who is living out his years in sweet drug induced serenity.

They quit the meds and before we know it they are running away together.

An adventure.

What happens is for you to find out but I am rather sure you will like it.

The young man, Pier-Gabriel Lajoie, carries out his role with utter believability. And why not? There are sex scenes which are pretty sexy. And the talk is funny. Happy. There is nothing sad here.

There is another film on this film coming along soon. A new meme. Spring December gay lovers.

I would not mind seeing this again. A 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films, gay films

Mom is dying and the two kids, sister and brother, arrive for the final round.

What they find is that their Mom has a caretaker who has the whole scene covered and, in a way, their Mom prefers him as her support.

Naked As We Came (2013)

This is a bit of a weeper as we know Mom is going to die.

What we don't know about is the combustible mix of kids and caretaker.

That the son and caretaker are both handsome young men and gay is a major plot element.

In fact it is the whole reason for being of this film. And that is OK with me.

The mother is superb and it does not take long for her to attach herself to our heart. As a result, the whole family comes along.

The sister is a bitch with a heart of gold. A sort of turn on the old whore with a heart of gold. She is tough and has a hard mouth and lets her feelings be known.

Romance between the boys fills the air and Sis cannot douse it.

The sex scenes are nicely done and would not offend a straight audience that has an open mind. For a gay audience, they are delicious.

This is not a film I would want to own but it is very enjoyable and good to watch. And just over the edge so that it avoids having too many soap suds over flowing.

A 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films, gay films

This is where the Canadians kick our ass every time.

Well, that is not an apt description. But goddammit we are here with plenty of resources to help. We seriously stirred the pots to cause the problem and yet we do nothing.

Syrian Refugees Greeted by Justin Trudeau in Canada

Even Obama seems afraid to take this on.

I suppose there are "priorities". It has been eight long years and I suppose that they are tired. But I did not elect an administration without a heart. Where is it?

I grew up in a kinder gentler, more generous country.

Or at least I thought I did. Perhaps I was naive.

It is not a PR game of course. But if it was, then we would be eating dust.

We should be ashamed of ourselves.

I suppose the Zionist lobbies that run a lot of our country's policies are against anything that helps Muslims.

I say bullshit. This is right way the Israel fixation gets us every time.

Labels: canada, immigration, muslims

It would appear that all I am doing out here is looking at movies.

There has not been a "life" post lately at all. Just the flicks.

That is not because nothing is happening here.

Normal life mostly. Routine. Nice.

We are slowly ramping up for the holidays.

One more year, we are not sending holiday cards.

It still feels uncomfortable because we are still getting holiday cards.

So, we have bought some holiday stamps and my husband has volunteered to send a short note to some of the people who sent us a card.

I have opted out. Easy because he is doing it so I can remain hard hearted. The comforts of partnership, marriage. The good cop/bad cop paradigm.

We have not gone out of the holiday business entirely. We will have a tree and there are the outdoor lights. John put those up too. I applauded.

I do not know what I would do if I was alone. Probably a few lights on one of the trees.

I am not very good at make believe. The "what ifs".

I will wait to see what I do when and if I am alone.

One of the perennially fucked up places in the world is Northern Ireland.

But it makes for a good place for movies about conflicted loyalties and rebellion and the role of authority in maintaining an untenable situation.

It is a religious war. Waged between Catholic and Protestant. The worst kind. And it is a civil war with many facets. All the way back to "the troubles". Which never went away.

Today's film is thrilling and scary and very well made,

'71 (2015)

That would be Belfast in 1971. Bad. Terrible. Shite.

This is van edge of the seat movie which drops the political and aims for the sole experience of a soldier lost behind enemy lines. Well, if it was a traditional war it would be that. But here it is behind an artificial barrier between two territories where some people on each side belong on the other side and everything is chaotic every day.

There is a young man, not a main character, who stands in for the confused and conflicted people who cannot find a foothold in any day's events.

Which side are you on?

It is all tragic. This is the life of some of these people, year after year, decade after decade.

The lost soldier is eventually found, not a spoiler as I am not telling you how he is found and what he has found for himself.

I would not mind seeing this again. It is a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

This is Michael Fassbender's western.

A clear career move.

Everyone needs one. A career move. But not everyone can make a good western.

It didn't work for me.

So many clichés, so little time.

He is not American. It shows. Sorry.

Slow West (2015)

This critic did not agree with me. Four stars.

Fuck if I saw the same film. But that is OK.

I stand on my biased opinion.

I shut it down half way and put myself out of my misery.

The first 1 out of 5 Netflix in a long long time.

Labels: films

Today's movie was way over the top.

Cheap emotionalism.

Plain non-sensical "science" fiction.

A horror story with fucking monsters!

But it also had Dylan Obrien who can do no wrong.

Co star of Teen Wolf, this is his movie moment. Which might have already passed. But still there is no denying that this film is worth watching.

And not for comic effect or mockery.

Some of it is very good and I do not like this kind of movie. Whatever kind this is.

To give it some weight they put Patricia Clarkson at the end as the evil genius. Oops Spoiler.

Still, a good time is had by all. What if a few of them do not make it.

And there will be a sequel. That is very clear from the ending.

I will be there!

Oh.

What is the movie?

The Maze Runner(2014)

Labels: films

Today's film was a revisit.

Opposite of Sex (1998)

The nth time I have seen it.

Never grows old.

Take a look. You might get hooked too.

Labels: films, gay films

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon.

After church.

My parents and I were sitting listening to the radio.

That is what we did back then. 1941. Sat and listened and looked at it.

Then a bulletin came on.

I sort of got the idea but not really. I was 4.

My mother fainted. Or pretended to. My Mom was like that.

There is not a lot to say.

It changed my life totally. My Dad ended up going to the Navy, a volunteer.

And so much more.

Labels: history

Today, for the umpteenth time, my favorite movie.

Les Chansons d’Amour / Love Songs (2007)

Christophe Honoré's conception of modern love in the City of Paris.

It is not perfect. Look at the review.

But it is quite enough for me. I have seen it a dozen times and do not get tired.

I am not perfect either.

I will not bore you with detail about the film. All of that would be a spoiler because all of it is at least mildly surprising and unconventional.

One slight hint. This is also a gay film. Hidden in those little songs is a gay theme trying to get out and, well, in the end, it does.

But you have to see it and feel it and most of all sing with it.

I was a fan of all the old MGM musicals. I am quite used to song and love in one dollop. I like it. It is imbedded in my soul. I think, perhaps, I have seen every one of those at least once. Even Kathryn Grayson. A thin soprano with a doll face.

I, oddly, did not fall in love with the men. Howard Keel was too butch and some of the others did not have a lot except the voice.

None of them turned out to be timeless. I would not look at any of them today.

Could not.

But Honoré has resurrected the form beautifully and his actors have the void and the charm to carry it out. I am not sure but I believe that all of this is dubbed. But the synch is perfect. The wonders of modern technology. Howard Keel never had it this good.

A 5 out of Netflix5.

Oh. I got it out to see because a photo of the two guys was on the screensaver that I was using last week. They are everywhere when I am supposed to get out the DVD and see it again.

No subtitles for this clip. It is all in the visuals anyway. It is a series of short takes out of the film and not in order.

Labels: films, gay films

John put up the holiday lights today.

It is dark now and they look pretty good.

Sparkly lights across the top of the patio wall and big garish icicles in the two trees, one on each side.

The usual.

But not usual.

We are on an inside corner of a big square block. Many people go by our place to get out of the complex.

I am thinking of standing out there with a bit HAPPY HOLIDAY sign like the guys who stand by the highways.

No. I guess not.

It is never too early for holiday lights and we are among the first. The two others have theirs up already. Soon, a landslide.

Sometimes the right recipe doesn't turn out, a flopper.

Such is the case with today's film

While We're Young (2015)

Adam Driver, Naomi Watts and the smarmy Ben Stiller (I just do not like him).

You can go watch it if you want. I did stay the limit. But I found myself mocking it from about half way through. I will keep my mock to myself today.

I think the problem is Stiller. I don't like him and that is it. He cannot please me. At least I am honest about it. There is that.

Labels: films

I have seen wars and "actions" to keep peace all my life.

Because bad people have decided to act out and hurt innocent people. To rule the world.

We now face, yet again, a threat from people who are basically fascists. Not just extremists with a belief, but people who want to wipe you and me out. Gone. Hate is their commodity in carrying out hateful acts.

We, as usual, lie safe overseas. But we also have allies and interests that are being hurt and harmed and we need to pay attention.

Yet again, we are in the savage reaches of the Middle East.

It used to be that no one cared about what "those bastards do to one another" (my father's voice speaks from the grave) but those days are long gone.

It is all one, it is all now and we are in it whether we want it or not.

Listen to this great speech in Parliament by Hilary Benn.

He speaks to us here in our "safe haven" as much as to his own secure Island of free people.>

Labels: terrorism

Ben Carson Shattering Stereotype About Brain Surgeons Being Smart

I have not seen Andy Borowitz for a while.

But here he is, fresh for the run at the Presidency. I mean the run at the candidates. All horns out.

Ben Carson is good for us. He sheds light on what happens when a privileged minority, rich people, lose control of their egos and cannot keep their mouths shut.

But the valuable service is that they say what other right wing whack jobs, and most Republicans, keep to themselves. Their inner beliefs are so astoundingly retro that they dare not mention them.

I figure it is a case of someone getting drunk on new privilege. He has some talents, he has gotten to use them, he is smart but not smart enough to see what a dick he can be.

He is not self aware.

A critical characteristic for electoral success over the long haul.

Especially if you are black.

Remember all the stuff about Obama which was code for "uppity"? It is too bad, but they brought it on themselves. Here they have a candidate and WTF! He is black! Irony of fate.

He is on a run and he cannot be stopped. Until he runs down. Or most GOoPers have enough of it and shut him off.

It feels good to be back on the campaign trail again.

Labels: right wing whack jobs

Today's film goes from realism to magical realism to magic and back to realism.

That is a lot to ask but much is delivered in

Bird People (2014)

An American on hold in the Paris Airport Hilton decides to chuck it all.

A chambermaid on the same floor actually does take flight. I will not tell you about that. Wait and see.

There is nature footage in this picture which is unbelievable and then people get mixed in with it. Very good. A Cannes winner.

I liked it a lot. I would see it again. That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

I am watching the eighth season of The Big Bang Theory

Hence, no other films until I am done.

I am done with the second disk and will go for the third in due course.

I need a break in-between.

The sustained high quality of this series is just amazing. It not only has "legs" it has heart and a soul.

I have known some of these people.

And the others? I would like to know them.

Today, Mrs. Wallowitz died on the show. It coincides with the death of the actress who played her for so long. Carol Ann Susi.

Very touching and, of course, funny. There is comedy in death as much as life.

Labels: DVD, television

We have become inured to horror.

The shootings just over the hill from us in San Bernadino are shocking in and of themselves but all the more so in the light of the rash of such incidents.

How Often Do Mass Shootings Occur? On Average, Every Day, Records Show

This is not routine. It is regular as a heartbeat. A dying heartbeat. More below at the *.

The resistance to gun control does not waver, however.

I know. It is not guns that kill people but.....you know the tag line.

This is the NRA and such organizations that somehow think that the right to bear arms means we can all carry concealed and open. We can use the weapons at our own discretion and worst of all that it is our right to shoot on sight if need be. Or something. I can't even phrase what these pin heads believe.

I grew up with guns. I did not take to them. A gay boy, a sissy boy. I didn't like the bang and I surely didn't like the emphasis on performance. There is an old 8mm film somewhere of my Dad taking me up on the mountain to practice shooting. It is so embarrassing. I am totally out of my element. He so wanted a hunter and a "normal" mountain boy.

Let me just say that my Dad and I worked all that out. He was a kind and gentle man and he loved his son. He just could not figure me out. But then, with time and life success, he became a proud father and we ended good friends. A blessing.

I do not know why I am not interested in guns or shooting. It is just not in my makeup to kill anything. I had a shit time in the Army but I was in the Quartermaster Corps (cooks and bottle washers), an officer, and no one expected me to be able to defend myself.

So I have had a life without guns.

I can say categorically that being gay has shielded me. Gay men are not interested in weapons for the most part. Well, perhaps for a backdrop to some military fantasy. And then, the uniforms!

But to believe I have gun rights? Why the fuck why?

I am not a pacifist. I am not naive enough to believe that the meek shall inherit the earth. I support cops and armies and armed guards. There are bad guys out there just asking for it.

But for me, I will depend on those better able to use guns for my protection. Meanwhile, I will hide under a desk or something.

What is going on here? I have no theories. I do know that anyone brought up with guns in their home should respect them and either go get training on how to live with them or get rid of them. I gave my Dad's guns to his best friend Jim and eventually I got rid of the revolver we kept to, what? Protect ourselves? I do not know. I gave that gun to one of my sons I think. Let him figure it out and work it through.

There is one thing for sure. Having a real gun, cold metal, and ammunition in your possession will sober you up on this question. And if you come to any solid answers about whether you should have that weapon or use it, let alone anyone else, let me know. I do not. The genie is out of the bottle and it cannot be put back in.

** On Guns, We’re Not Even Trying

Labels: gun control

I like a film where there are no good guys.

No cops, no social engineers, no do gooders.

Just bad guys. Menacing bastards who do each other up neatly and suffer no guilt or remorse.

I think that is why

Layer Cake (2004)

is so satisfying.

Daniel Craig well before his Bond years and such British film luminaries as Michael Gambon all get to be good being bad.

The subject here is drugs and the drug trade.

It is a bit arcane but they spell it out for us without implying that we are dunces.

It also has that neat edge where rooting for the bad guys is allowed. Of course we hiss and boo the even badder guys.

It is an enjoyable romp through British crime. Tom Hardy is in this as a near articulate thug and we know his future. Some others as well.

A 4 out of Netflix5. I would not mind seeing it again at all.

Sorry about the vitamin pill ad. There were no exceptions.

Labels: films