tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82889659819284958322024-03-08T14:25:22.015-05:00Honeyfuggle IndustriesBoring Blog that is barely updated. For more regularly updated sections (sort of), check out the Review Blogs linked on the sidebar. Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-50328052330539876122018-03-25T23:16:00.001-04:002018-03-25T23:16:31.710-04:00Chapter 115: Annual Update!As per usual, I haven't updated this main blog in a long while. I was briefly considering turning it into review page for films I had seen recently....or more. I had long used Flixster for writing my thoughts down on movies, but recently the site was acquired by Fandango and has been turned into utter garbage. I have discovered Letterboxd however, and it seems a better place to catalog my reviews and put down my thoughts of movies. I have removed my link to Flixster on my sidebar and replaced it with Letterboxd, though I have ratings for a lot of movies, I have yet to scratch the surface of moving my film reviews over. And, in general, I may want to end up updating a ton of those reviews, my thoughts may have changed, or, I just want to expand on them. A lot of those reviews were short and only a paragraph. And I may have more to say on some movies, and as such I will write my thoughts out in more detail as time goes on.<br />
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I have also, as anyone who visits these sits may have noticed (and thank you one guy maybe!), completely overhauled the look of this and, especially, my review blogs. I did a ton of new graphics and created easier to navigate pages for every season of those series. Makes it easier to find older reviews, and is graphically a far more appealing site in my opinion. I've long wanted it to look more like it does now, but I needed the time, and I finally had it. Hope anyone who visits appreciates how superior the site looks to it's previous version. <br />
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As always, here is my Top Ten Films of 2017, a little late this time, but here it finally is: <br />
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<b>10. Kong: Skull Island </b>- I had a blast at the theater with this one. I love the original King Kong, and no sequel or remake or reboot has ever lived up to it...but this was a fun monster movie, and even though it was very modern and action-centric, it just seemed to truly get what Kong was all about without just remaking the originals plot. It found a new angle, and I enjoyed it a helluva lot more than I ever enjoyed the 2014 "Godzilla" film.<br />
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<b>9. Colossal </b>- Oddly enough, it is another Monster movie, just a good year for them I suppose. This is another unique angle on that however. Anne Hathaway plays a loser who travels back to her home town, reunites with a childhood friend...and then discovers that a giant monster in Korea is being controlled by her movements. It is a wonderful little movie that despite the big monster theme, is actually very character driven and small. <br />
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<b>8. Dunkirk</b> - Not Christopher Nolan's finest effort, but a really great war film that has tremendous editing. It's kind of amazing it worked at all when you factor in the different stretches of time that are being intercut together. <br />
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<b>7. Okja</b> - This Netflix original from Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-ho is a wonderfully weird sci-fi film that takes on the meat industry. It's got a strong message about the factory of killing that comes with meat. And unfortunately it is a message I am probably going to continue to ignore because I enjoy a good burger every now and then. <br />
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<b>6. The Shape of Water</b> - Guillermo Del Toro is a great filmmaker, one of the best visual eyes working today. His films always have a tremendous look, but he is also so very good at giving us that fairy tale feel. It isn't just surface level for him, his visuals complement the story. Whether that is the more fantasy fairy tale stories like this or "Pan's Labyrinth," or if it is a gothic horror such as "Crimson Peak." This tale of an outcast mute woman who falls in love with what is essentially the Creature from the Black Lagoon is lovely, somehow managing to make you just go with that ridiculous plot and buy it. <br />
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<b>5. War for the Planet of the Apes</b> - Somehow the "Planet of the Apes" franchise is one of the strongest (at least in terms of quality) currently out there. They manage to best themselves with each picture, I'm not sure if it this is better than "Dawn", but at worst they are equals. Andy Serkis is so great as Caesar and it is so overlooked by so many just how good a performance he gives under that CG facade. If this current run of films ends here, it would be a shame, but it also ends on such a satisfying note that it is hard to be sad about that. <br />
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<b>4. Get Out</b> - Jordan Peele went from comedian with a sketch show to respected director in one move...and what a move. "Get Out" is such an original film, with such a deep message that unfortunately resonates all too well in our incredibly flawed society. And he is young and this is only his first effort! What a joy for film fans! He is also now part of the team behind the new revival of the Twilight Zone...and from this film I am fairly pleased with that decision. This film is great, and it sticks with you long after you've watched it. <br />
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<b>3. Lucky</b> - I'm surprised this movie seemed so overlooked. I loved it. For a while it was my definite #1. Harry Dean Stanton is one of the greatest character actors we ever had, and his final performance is almost like a thesis statement of his whole life and career. The movie isn't really about anything, but I loved it dearly. Stanton is great and David Lynch also gives a great supporting performance. <br />
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<b>2. A Ghost Story </b>- A movie shot in in 4:3 with a guy in a bed sheet for the bulk of the movie sounds like the most incredibly annoying hipster thing possible. Yet...it is a fantastic film that I am still thinking about months after I saw it. It has imagery that just sticks with you. It is a haunting experience, not scary, but more ethereal in it's haunting nature. It is a movie about time and memories and location. Really worth watching in a dark room with no distractions, it is a very quiet film that relies almost entirely on the visuals, and watching it in the dark and alone is a perfect way to view it. There is only one scene that gets too chatty and goes on just a bit too long that sort of hurts the experience, but then the movie kicks back in to doing what it does best. <br />
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<b>1. World of Tomorrow 2</b> - Don Hertzfeldt is one of the greatest and most overlooked filmmakers working today. He is overlooked too often because he is making animated shorts...but they are increasingly the best pieces of film arts currently being produced by anyone working today. This sequel to his first "World of Tomorrow" is as good, if not better, than the original...and his simple character designs, creative backgrounds, and mixture of humor and drama and sci-fi concepts is pitch perfect. It's easily my favorite film of the year. Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-20010386553515415022017-02-06T13:35:00.001-05:002017-02-06T13:35:11.132-05:00Chapter 114: The Latest Skinny (and another Top 10)So 2016 was a bust of a year, and 2017 seems like it is shaping up to compete with 2016's shit quality. Luckily, there is at least some good news on a personal level, as the wife and I are going to welcome our second child this summer. Just wish I felt more confident about the world we were bringing the kid into. So lately has been working around the house preparing our spare room and turn it into a proper room for the new baby, and getting our little one prepared for the coming addition. She seems pretty excited about it!<br />
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As I annually do for some reason, here is my Top 10 Movies of 2016:<br />
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10. Neon Demon<br />
Nicholas Winding Refn isn't a filmmaker I've been following closely, but I really liked "Drive," and his latest film is stylish and creepy and pretty too look at, as it follows a young beautiful model as she enters the dark strange world of professional modeling. Just great too look at, with a very Argento feel too it all.<br />
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9. The Lobster<br />
Just as weird a premise as a movie can have, enter hotel to find love, and if you don't, turned into an animal. It is a weird weird movie, but I really enjoyed it, even in it's second half when it began to drag a bit...it still had wonderfully weird ideas. <br />
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8. Loving<br />
The story of the Loving couple, whose landmark case paved the way for it to be legal across the land to have interracial marriage...but what makes the movie great is that it barely focuses on the legal end of things, and instead focuses on the people, which makes it feel real.<br />
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7. Green Room<br />
A band gets held hostage and must escape after witnessing a murder in the titular green room of a rock club owned by Neo-Nazis. Just a great gritty thriller. <br />
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6. Star Trek Beyond<br />
I mean...I just love Star Trek, and this was the finest Trek film in year in my opinion. It blended that fun and freshness of the 2009 movie, with that classic Star Trek feel. It is a shame it didn't do better than the abysmal "Star Trek Into Darkness." As a Trek fan, this just put a smile on my face, and a warm feeling in my heart, and it was the only film on this list I went to see twice in the theater and made sure I got the blu-ray for Christmas. <br />
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5. Arrival<br />
Every Fall we seem to get a solid intelligent sci-fi film now, and I am all for that. Amy Adams is great as a linguist who is called upon by the government to try and figure out a way to speak to an alien race that has landed on Earth, and try to understand their purpose on Earth. In the process she learns about herself...it is a character movie, it is a great smart sci-fi movie well made. For the sci-fi fans like me, I am so pleased we get something like this each fall. <br />
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4. Midnight Special<br />
Another solid smarter sci-fi/fantasy picture from this year, and the second film by Jeff Nichols (the other being "Loving") to make my list. Nichols sort of channels Spielberg in this story about a dad trying to evade the law as he runs off with his son from a cult...but his son has some kind of magical powers, and may belong in another dimension. This year I really discovered Nichols, watching all of his films that lead up to "Midnight Special" and "Loving," and I realized he has quietly become one of the finest working directors today. <br />
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3. La La Land<br />
I mean...how weird is it that a modern musical made it this high on my list? But "La La Land" is fun, well made, with good music, great stars with chemistry, and it feels like a throwback to the classic big Hollywood musicals of yesteryear, yet still felt fresh and modern...it was a good picture, one that evokes a classic cinema that I miss. Here's hoping it's success means we get more films like this, that evoke a little bit of hope and happiness. <br />
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2. Don't Breath<br />
On the other end of the spectrum comes "Don't Breath," a horror-thriller about some young burglars hoping too pull of one last big job, which involves robbing a a bling vet...but this vet turns out to be more able than they realized...as the house is locked down and they must avoid him finding them and killing them, which means they can't make a single sound, must even muffle their breathing. And they find more surprises along the way...it is a great thriller - gritty, exciting, and a lot of fun. <br />
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1. The Witch<br />
About as good a horror film as I have seen in some time. Just creepy from the word go, with beautiful cinematography, creepy imagery, and a tone that left me unsettled for a couple hours after watching. The kind of movie where I needed to turn the light on as soon as it ended! The language can be a difficult barrier, as the dialogue is pretty much entirely olde timey, but you get used to it, and if you get past that hurdle, well worth it. Best film of the year in my opinion, because it was highly effective as both a horror film, and just a piece of cinematic art in general. Top notch stuff. Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-19711655875380923192016-01-07T01:28:00.000-05:002016-01-07T01:28:38.064-05:00Chapter 113: Movies and WhatnotApparently for me, a blog is something you post on only to review episodes/movies of Star Trek and Doctor Who. This, my allegedly "main blog," I seem to now post on once a year with what I have here....My Top 10 Films of 2015. I haven't seen everything or even that much...but I saw a few more this year than last year. Maybe not in the Theater, but via the Library, Netflix...and the occasional streaming rental, I saw a lot of films from this past year. Here are the ones I really liked:<br />
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<b>MY TOP FILMS OF 2015: </b><br />
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10. Me, and Earl, and the Dying Girl<br />
A coming of age film about the friendship of a weird high school kid who befriends a fellow student who has cancer. I liked this one because it was an entertaining look about outcast high school kids that doesn't feel phony or forced...and the friendship between the main character and the girl never descended into silly nonsense like a forced romance or anything. It easily could've taken that cheap route, but it avoided it nicely. It also had plenty of weirdness to enjoy. <br />
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9. Dope<br />
Oddly enough, I enjoyed two coming of age movies this year...which seems strange to me. But this one was a nice mix of things and felt very fresh. It also had a great actor in the lead role, who played a character who didn't fit the standard roles that young black actors so often get. He got to play a fully developed character, not just a stereotype, so refreshing to see that on screen. <br />
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8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens<br />
As much as I was indifferent to this movie before seeing it, I must say it won me over. I am not going to pretend it was the best movie of the year, but it did it's job of making "Star Wars" fun again. Great effects - nice mix of Sets, puppets, and appropriate CG (hear me George?) and new fresh characters that blended well with the returning classic characters. Also I didn't think Harrison Ford would give any craps about this movie, but they must've paid him just the right amount to make him actually act again. Harry, it's been so long since you didn't look bored!<br />
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7. It Follows<br />
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A fantastic 70s/80s inspired horror movie, very early John Carpenter in style, that creeps you out with atmosphere, style, and creepy moments, rather than with jump scares or CG monster people. It just worked on every level for me, and was a great reminder that if you want entertaining horror films, look no further than what some indie filmmakers are bringing to the table. <br />
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6. Turbo Kid<br />
Probably some of the most fun I had watching a movie this year came from the crazy and ridiculous indie post-apocalyptic movie "Turbo Kid," which blended "Mad Max" with a little bit of comic book sensibilities and tons of funny and well executed gore. It is just a real fun ride of a movie, totally worth checking out. <br />
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5. Inside Out<br />
Not that Pixar has been making bad movies or anything, but it was nice to see an original story from them again and for it to be this good. This movie hooked me easily, because seeing a young girl growing up...while watching it with my own little girl...it just hit me. And while they have always been emotional, the characters in this film are literally emotions...so it wasn't hard to trigger my emotions with this one. <br />
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4. The Hateful Eight <br />
I literally just came from this one, so I technically didn't see it in 2015, but it came out in 2015...so I am counting it. It's Quentin Tarantino, need I say more? The man does no wrong for me. And this movie, while still excessive and explicit in it's depiction of graphic violence, is a lot more restrained and builds more than his last few films before ramping up in the third act...plus the roadshow 70mm film going experience was really great. <br />
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3. World of Tomorrow<br />
How many have even seen this one? If you haven't, please do...go to Vimeo and rent it for a small price, you won't regret it...it's only a low rental fee and about 20 minutes of your time. It's the latest short by independent animator Don Hertzfeldt, and it is a beautiful little sci-fi film about a little girl being visited by a clone of herself from the future, who explains what the future is, and it is sad and beautiful and strange and funny...it is just a great little short, highly recommended. I actually submitted to the Kickstarter to bring this and many other films by Hertzfeldt to blu-ray...first and thus far only Kickstarter I've ever been compelled to contribute to. <br />
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2. Mad Max: Fury Road<br />
This was so nearly my #1. It was a great film, lots of big action and crazy stunts, and the fact that so little of it was CG'd made all the difference. Seeing stunts, and cars race and crash and explode...and knowing that so much of it was done for real...that's movie magic baby! Plus it is just a fun post-apocalypse film with crazy costumes and goofy weirdness. I think CG has come so far, that it is actually more exciting and magical to see a film that lacks a guy in a CG robot suit who can do anything...because we've seen it all before. It is more magical to see people performing real stunts...because how DO they do it? <br />
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1. The Martian<br />
I very nearly made this #2, but what edged it out was that it was a better movie...it had stronger characters, a stronger story, it had more depth, and it is more the kind of movie I'd like to see get made. It isn't based on some franchise that guarantees money in the bank, it's based on a little self-published book. It also isn't just a sci-fi movie with dumb action and laser fights. It is hard sci-fi, with much of the science in the film being deemed fairly close to accurate. It also wasn't a hard sci-fi film that felt fairly humorless. It mixed humor, drama, science, and mild action, into an exciting picture that was fun to watch and cohesive. I wish "Star Trek" could take it's cues from this very film on how to mix all of the elements well and still keep the masses intrigued. This was the film that truly was the best of the year for me. It just ticked all the right boxes. </div>
Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-5801522690371577782015-01-25T00:09:00.002-05:002015-01-25T00:09:30.110-05:00Chapter 112: 2014 and the New Year2014 was a whopper of a year for me. First child was born and I started a new full time job...so seeing movies and TV kind of difficult. I'm catching up to seeing a bunch of movies from the last couple years right now...so here is my Top Ten List of what I saw so far for 2014.<br />
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10. Interstellar<br />
I like Christopher Nolan and I think this was a nice attempt to make a hard sic-fi movie with a serious tone. Good performances and great effects throughout, the problem came in some of the scripting in the second half. I have no problem with the sort of oddball existential stuff, but I did have a problem with McConaughey explaining to me what's happening, when it was kind of visually clear what was happening. I also found the Matt Damon is a villain thing to be trite and predictable, and out of place in the tone and themes of this film. I applaud the effort to make a big budget studio release that tries to be legit sci-fi rather than just LASERS! <br />
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9. Frank<br />
Such a weird unique movie. I enjoyed the concept and thought the movie was enjoyable, funny, but a little sad too. Michael Fassbender gives a great performance and does it mostly hidden under a giant fiberglass head. It is the kind of off kilter movie that is bound to have a little cult following but will mostly miss a lot of people.<br />
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8. Guardians of the Galaxy<br />
James Gunn jump from small budget films to the big money makers of Marvel, and he nails it. As much as I am bored with the more fantasy sci-fi movies, and as much as I miss smarter hard sci-fi...this was fun as hell. I kind of lament that I enjoyed Interstellar less than this in way, but that when fell slightly short of what it wanted and needed to accomplish, this one did everything it wanted to in spades. Cast is good, effects are good, the script is fun, and the movie moves along at a solid pace. If only Marvel made every movie as fun as this and the Avengers. <br />
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7. Gone Girl<br />
What a fucked up couple this movie is about. Well crafted thriller from David Fincher, looks good, feels unsettling at times, and features quite the performance from Rosamund Pike...who just digs into this role. I really enjoyed watching this, though I doubt I'd ever want to see it again. <br />
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6. Locke<br />
Tom Hardy in a car. That is really all this movie is...Tom Hardy driving for 80 minutes, as a man ditching his job the night before a major construction project in order to be there for the birth of his son...with a woman who is not his wife. Hardy is the only actor seen on screen, everyone else is literally phoning it in, as Hardy's character tries to help someone else do his job, explain to his wife just why he is doing this, and try to calm the woman he had a one night stand with who is in labor. It is an edge of your seat kind of movie...and it has no locations beyond the inside of a car. <br />
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5. Blue Ruin<br />
This movie about revenge is so well done. It isn't a typical action revenge flick, with a lead character kicking so much ass, here our main character is a homeless guy who kills the man he believes killed his parents and then must take on that man's entire family...but he is kind of inept at all of it. It is funny in a sad kind of way, but what really sells the movie is the lead performance. <br />
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4. Whiplash<br />
JK Simmons is fantastic in this, and Miles Teller is proving to be a new young actor to watch out for. Simmons plays Teller's teacher at a music conservatory who is brutal and tough at trying to make great musicians. Simmons puts up with no shit and he is just intense to watch. I've seen him in so many things over the years, but I don't think I truly realized how good he is as an actor until now. Much more exciting movie than an average summer blockbuster. <br />
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3. The Grand Budapest Hotel <br />
I love Wes Anderson movies. People may complain that he makes the same movies over and over again, but I don't see it that way. He has a specific style, and that style is getting increasingly stylized, but I like the style...and while his movies always have a similar tone, they rarely feel like the same movie being rehashed. This was hilarious, stylish, and creative, and I enjoyed every moment of it. <br />
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2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes<br />
I can't believe that this series is this good right now. I'm a sucker for monkey movies...I love King Kong and I love the Planet of the Apes movies. But even as a fan of the Planet of the Apes, I can admit a good chunk of the movies aren't that great. I enjoy them, but I am not beyond seeing their flaws. The original is a stone cold classic, but the sequels were hit and miss, and Tim Burton's remake was terrible. Rise of the Planet of the Apes surprised me with how solid it was...Dawn blew me away. This movie fixed all the things I found to be flawed in Rise, and it balanced action and smarts and social commentary in exactly the way this series always tried to. One of the few movies from this year I'm really jonesing to dive into again.<br />
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1. Birdman<br />
Excellent. Michael Keaton is one of my favorite actors, and it is so nice to see him leading a movie again, and he gives his all. It's a top notch performance from Keaton, but also everyone in the movie is pretty solid. The movie flows with the camera moving like one continuous shot, and it just works. I really loved everything about this and I think it deserves any accolades it gets, more so than the film that is going to get all the accolades, Boyhood...which was average despite it's long term production.<br />
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Now that 2015 is in full swing, here is what I am actually looking forward to. I'm slightly intrigued but can't say I am actually anticipating the new Star Wars. That franchise ran out of steam, and I'm sure the new one will be perfect at capturing some of the spirit and fun of the original, because JJ Abrams already essentially did that with Star Trek, but I dunno...who cares at this point. I think the franchise movie I am really looking forward to in 2015 in Mad Max: Fury Road...because those trailers look fucking amazing. Based on his previous work in both animation and live action I am interested to see Brad Bird's new film Tomorrowland, though I think I'm only half interested. I just found out Don Hertzfeldt has a new film that is sci-fi...and I love everything he does, and I love sci-fi...so I can't wait to see that. For big summer movies..I guess Avengers 2...I mean Avengers was fantastic...I'm just sort of tired of Marvel, even though I have enjoyed their movies for the most part. I am actually really anticipating is Red Letter Media's Space Cop...which I think will finally be coming out this year...though who knows for sure. The moment they release it on DVD, I will be making a purchase. <br />
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Beyond that I keep looking through the list and I think I'm indifferent to most of what is coming out. We will see what gets recommended. Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-68756457622029748682013-11-26T16:47:00.002-05:002013-11-26T16:47:30.602-05:00Chapter 111: Current Updates and Real LifeI haven't posted in a while. At least not on this main blog. The reason is I've had a real life going on around me. It seems I never really posted it on this blog, but in the last year I've gotten married, moved twice, bought two cars, worked my ass off with crazy work hours, and coming this February...I will be a dad. So Posting on this stupid little blog has been low priority. <div>
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That said...I have spent time working on the review blogs...this is mostly just a main base to lead you to the other blogs I guess. I've recently added reviews to the latest Doctor Who adventures, and I've updated some of the images. A new Who Banner is in the works, waiting essentially on images of the new Doctor. </div>
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Also there is an image on all Trek stories now, which is nice. Images for episodes will be gradually updated as HD screen grabs become available. </div>
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That is all for now. </div>
Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-43068178996655903212013-06-04T00:46:00.002-04:002013-06-04T00:46:59.100-04:00Chapter 110: Updates And WondermentsSo I've been working on this "site" or collection of blogs or whatever it is. I've been adding a bit more visual flair to the whole thing. New banners for all sections, new buttons, a change of Name from the Shark Tank to Honeyfuggle Industires, and for the shows reviewed I've been adding a image from each episode/movie. <div>
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Doctor Who and the recently started Babylon 5 blog are completed, and therefore have an screengrab image up for each episode reviewed. I have mostly done Trek, though I haven't added an image for all of TNG just yet. Enjoy the more visually entertaining look. Better with a picture than just words on a screen I think. </div>
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While I have gone through and added pictures, I have have done a bit of updating/clean-up/editing of some reviews. I've noticed many of my later reviews are much better written than the earliest ones, my wording has definitely improved. </div>
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So things around here are getting a little more shaped up. </div>
Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-84244442742029854362013-05-16T00:27:00.000-04:002013-05-16T00:27:15.642-04:00Chapter 109: This is Barely a Blog<span style="font-family: inherit;">I barely post on this blog...just review sections. Whatever...its the main page for you to enter these wonderful worlds of my pointless attempts to review shows...things no one wants to read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anywho...I've decided to rename the site, and drop The Shark Tank moniker, as there is a terrible show named that now and it seems odd for me to continue using it, as it never really meant much anyhow. So from now on the site/blogspaces will now collectively go under the name of Honeyfuggle Industries...which has been a major part of the name from the get go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So thats it for now...I'll possibly add stuff again, but I have so little to talk about. I'm too happy. I much prefer just </span>analyzing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and thinking about shows and movies. </span>Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-35443758846020210272012-12-15T17:44:00.002-05:002012-12-15T17:44:35.710-05:00Chapter 108: An Open Letter to HollywoodDearest Hollywood,<br />
Hi guys! How has it been going lately? I've been okay, but I'm not raking in nearly as much as you are at the box office (last time I hung outside the theater I almost made a quarter!). Anyhow I wanted to talk to you a bit about something that has been bugging me. <br />
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Recently I read that you were remaking the 1995 classic "Jumanji". While the movie is a fun little kids movie with some special effects that mostly hold up, I can't say I have ever needed another take on the picture book by Chris Van Allsburg. Since I first read that headline about a remake of "Jumanji" being in the works, I've been really thinking about your work ethic lately, and I am sorry, but we are going to have to let you go. <br />
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Now calm down, this isn't really a firing...we'd just like you to take a little hiatus. Take a few years off, go for some walks, take in the sights...reconnect with reality. You need it! You've been regurgitating the same crap over and over for a while now. Who did you think you were fooling with "The Amazing Spider-Man"? <br />
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Don't worry about us, we have 100 years of cinema to keep us busy until you get back to work in like 15 years. I mean I still haven't seen "The Birds", and I'm sure someone out there needs to see "Casablanca"...and both of us would get a great deal more out of it than either of us going to see "Oz: The Great and Powerful". <br />
<br />
15 years is a good amount of time to sit around and reflect on what used to make you so good and connect with so many people. Look at what it did for "Doctor Who"...and right now, you are definitely at <a href="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m84ywn8Eph1qe3v2r.jpg">THIS</a> stage.<br />
<br />
Yours in Love,<br />
K. Scheck, Esq.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-91318978542397685782011-11-30T00:35:00.000-05:002011-11-30T00:35:07.526-05:00Chapter 107: Getting BetterSo lately I've been getting more hours at work, which was nice. One of the other on-call people left for a job in another city, and I've been benefiting from it. But I had this feeling deep down that after the holidays ended, I'd go back to getting hours once a month. With my marriage on the imminent horizon, I found this to be a not so great prospect. So I took a chance. I decided to e-mail my boss and see what my chances were of moving up, of going from on-call to at the very least part-time. And despite my minor anxiety: it worked. My boss got the okay to give me two regular days a week. Holy cow am I pleased. <br />
<br />
I feel pretty good about this. I like my job, and I'm happy I get the chance to move forward there. My supervisor is even helping me out by seeing if I could get trained in another department for possibly more hours. We'll see how that goes. <br />
<br />
Beyond that I've spent some time watching stuff. I watched the whole of Buffy and Angel, then more Joss Whedon when I watched Firefly and Serenity, I'm currently finishing up Dollhouse as well. In between Firefly and Dollhouse I watched more Voyager and reviewed them accordingly. I've finished up to Season 4. <br />
<br />
I do forget to use this blog don't I?Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-71139582332688903992011-09-19T00:55:00.000-04:002011-09-19T00:55:50.659-04:00Chapter 106: PatienceI've started a Flixster account...as to write up all my thoughts on the movies I watch...I dunno why, I just think too much and feel the need to write it down somewhere. So on the side now you can see my latest Flixster reviews box, which can lead you to my account there, in case you are interested in my thoughts on movies I just saw, that I probably should of seen years ago. <br />
<br />
I've been watching tons of movies lately, which if you follow my twitter than you may have seen my live tweeting of several bad (and occasionally good) movies I watched. The reason for this is that I am pretty much unemployed. Luckily, this week I get to work 4 days, which is great not only for the bank account, but also for my brain, which is going a little mad sitting at home all the time. Hopefully I will also hear back from my employers about setting up an interview for a potential full-time job in Columbus. I really hope this one works out...the last job I interviewed for the guy wouldn't even call me back or shoot me an e-mail to let me know I didn't get it. Common courtesy is apparently out the door for some folks. <br />
<br />
Luckily this job would be even better (full-time over part-time), and having not gotten the last job I kept looking and found this good opportunity. I hope that the fact that I currently work for them means I would at least get a little notice that they pass on me. Hopefully they won't though...I'm trying to stay neutral, but I want this job a little more than most jobs I've applied for in recent times (and quite possibly anything else). <br />
<br />
All I need is a little patience, and all my hard work will eventually pay off.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-50591359524849759632011-08-17T15:20:00.000-04:002011-08-17T15:20:05.469-04:00Chapter 105: Mostly UnemployedWell I did quit the factory...I just couldn't handle that business any longer. Luckily I've been busy, helping Megan move home...and this past week I had a job interview...for a TV station. It looks promising, I hope it all works out. <br />
<br />
I also decided that instead of routinely complaining about Facebook...I would put my money where my mouth is, and I deactivated the account. I feel sort of free. Like the one thing Facebook has on people that hate it, is that so many refuse to quit. Its weird. I hesitated for a bit, but decided I just need out of it. I'm tired of the constantly infringing privacy settings, of the every 6 months changing or removing of features I like, and adding features I dislike, of the ads creepily reflecting what I just searched for on Google. I might lose touch with a few folks. That is a price I'm willing to pay, because quite frankly, if the only reason I'm remaining in touch with these people is that we are friends on Facebook and occasionally comment on stuff...is that really a friendship I value so much that I'll stay on a website I really get frequently irritated by? <br />
<br />
No I'll move on. Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-50551029784357088402011-07-09T17:21:00.000-04:002011-07-09T17:21:35.866-04:00Chapter 104: Thoughts on Quitting a JobI am quitting my job. This will be communicated to my supervisor on Monday morning. I am quite excited, as its the first time I've ever actually had to just up and quit. I left one job for college...but returned every summer until they closed down for good. Then I left another when I graduated, thus negating my ability to even work for them. <br />
<br />
So come August 3rd, I will be leaving my crappy dead end job at a factory I disdain. I will not be unemployed for I still have a wonderful job at the tv station (even if it is not many hours for the time being), and I will use my free time to search for a new job to either pay the bills or be full time within my field. I'm betting on the paying the bills one. <br />
<br />
Come on RETAIL!Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-38519950345322052992011-04-22T01:32:00.000-04:002011-04-22T01:32:38.803-04:00Chapter 103: Its not just TV...its HDTVSo many years ago my dad was contracted to take a TV down in a retail store, and he was told to dispose of it properly. Now it wasn't really a TV...it was a monitor. That means you can't hook it up to the antenna, it takes all sorts of extra components to make it work properly. That was ok, because it was big and my dad had both the extra components and the means to fix it. It was our living room TV...until....<br />
<br />
One day he was contracted to take down a TV in a different store. Same deal: dispose of it properly. He fixed it up. For free. And it was a 46" Samsung HDTV. That TV hasn't had a single problem in the couple years we've had it. Now the first time it was sort of a fluke, the second it was amazing. I ended up buying a blu-ray player (not very ironically around the same time Doctor Who went HD). It became a real chore to let my dad use the TV to watch a movie or watch a blu-ray. <br />
<br />
That all changed. Same store as the last one. Same exact deal. My dad opened it up, found the problem, and it works great. And its mine. I got a free HD 46" Samsung television, with my blu-ray hooked up. It is the luckiest thing that could of happened. I mean TWO HDTVs, and a few widescreen monitors? I mean the first monitor was in our living room for years before the real TV came along...and now a second? Sometimes the problems end up being easily solved, and to fix mine my dad spent 5 bucks on a couple capacitors. <br />
<br />
My dad's job has some awesome perks at times.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-91978011602548180882011-04-02T18:02:00.000-04:002011-04-02T18:02:54.839-04:00Chapter 102: The Nightmare BeginsThere are moments in everyone's lives that define who you are. I'm sure some have more than others, but at the moment I am thinking of one moment that truly had an impact on who I am as a person. <br />
<br />
When I was a kid, my favorite movie of all-time was Batman. The wonderful Tim Burton film from 1989...the film was just the best in my eyes. I still love it, and although Back to the Future has sort of taken its spot at the very tippy top...I can't help but hold Batman in a special place in my heart. So I watched the film all the time, probably more than once some days. It was quite often in the VCR. Now thats not to say I didn't watch other things...Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future Part II (we didn't even have the first one when I was little), as well the Star Trek movies, and the original Star Wars....but none of them could hold a candle to Batman. <br />
<br />
One night we came home to find our house had been broken into. The only thing stolen...was the VCR...with Batman inside. I was heartbroken...I think I was terrified that I'd never be able to see the film Batman ever again. It is a safe bet I cried. But the moment that truly was defining: my dad probably fixed up a different VCR, and my mom went to the store and bought me a new Batman. All was right with the world. <br />
<br />
I look back on this moment and I can't help but think that my decent outlook on life and the future is in no small part traced back to this moment in my life. I can be cynical, sure, but more often than not I just think "it is all gonna be okay." <br />
<br />
...because Mom and Dad can always buy you a new Batman.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-45356684925980521282011-03-26T23:50:00.000-04:002011-03-26T23:50:13.554-04:00Chapter 101: SuperheroesI'm not a comic book reader. I've read the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, half of the Watchmen (someday I'll finish it), and some assorted Batman things. For the most part I just like certain superheroes on film or TV. I grew up on a healthy diet of Batman. Tim Burton's 1989 feature is still one of my favorite films, and was my absolute favorite movie as a kid. I used to always try and get home to watch "Batman: The Animated Series". That show is still good now, even as an adult. So If Batman is in it, I'm bound to go see it in the theater. Other heroes are kind of hit or miss for me. I've never been a huge Superman fan, and actually only saw the first movie as a kid...and didn't really dig it. As an adult I've watched all four movies, and while I really enjoyed the first film now, I found the rest of the series to be lacking the same charm. Superman II is actually decent, but neither the theatrical Lester cut nor the Donner cut is 100% great. I definitely preferred Donner's version, but there were high points to both. <br />
<br />
I've always leaned more towards the DC heroes. Batman is about as good as you can get, and while he's never topped my list there is definitely something to be said of Superman. I also find both the Flash and Green Lantern appealing. The Flash has a great costume and I think there's something in his power that draws me towards him...the Scarlet Speedster! The Green Lantern has this crazy mythos that just fascinates me, and he is one of the few heroes in which his origin makes it easy to pass onto other characters, so there can be several Lanterns over the years. <br />
<br />
When I was a kid the other heroes I liked were the Turtles, Power Rangers, and the X-Men cartoon show. Turtles were definitely the coolest of that bunch, and still are. I never really cared for Spider-Man when I was young, but the Raimi movies really turned me around on him...those are some good films, a lot of fun. The only Marvel hero that I really found alluring as a kid was Captain America. The film coming out this summer looks pretty good too, a lot better than the trailer for Green Lantern looked (I hope the trailer was misleading, but it just looked kinda too much special effects not enough story kinda thing, I hope I'm wrong). <br />
<br />
for the most part I've been kinda jaded by superhero movies lately...theres just so many being shelled out, and because I'm not a reader of comics they just seem like...like not EVERY hero needs a film. I could care less about Thor. The Avengers doesn't particularly entice me, because I'm not a huge fan of crossovers (that said they ARE filming in Cleveland, and I've applied to be a production assistant...I probably WILL end up seeing it).<br />
<br />
Anyhow, my job at this factory gives me 12 hours to just think about random things, and one of the things I've thought about lately is that Spider-Man film series. Now like I've said I've never read a Spider-Man comic...but I am a nerd, and I like looking things up, and when I see these movies I kind go on a wiki binge of looking up origins and comic storylines, and seeing how the movies compare, which version I think worked better. I'm not a purist when it comes to these things...because comics and TV and films and books are all such different mediums. Spider-Man in the comic pages HAS to be different from the film version. I don't get bent out of shape when Lord of the Rings or the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy films stray from their literary counterparts, because the books are STILL there. Both of those are good adaptations because, while certain things I like or loved from the books (granted I still haven't had a chance to read LOTR, but I did read the Hobbit) are missing...I can just look at the film as this separate entity. <br />
<br />
So the Spider-Man films, my thoughts...well the first two are great, especially the second. The origin is out of the way, and Doc Ock ALWAYS looked like a cooler villain than the Green Goblin as a kid, and the film just furthered that perception for me. I even like the third film. Yeah. I said it. It has plenty of good visual effects and action and moments and scenes to still be an enjoyable film for me. That said, I can see its flaws...Structurally speaking, if Spider-Man 3's script were a house it would have collapsed in on itself. Its a mess, there is so much going on...too much going on, and it attempts so much and kind of falls flat in areas. While I enjoyed it, it doesn't hold up as well to scrutiny as the first two films. <br />
<br />
I have a theory as to how you could fix it. Now it doesn't matter, my ideas are just thoughts and ramblings of a guy who has to work 12 hours doing mindless tedious work until he can find a job he doesn't hate. But here is my thoughts on the whole thing:<br />
<br />
So Sam Raimi planned to finish off his trilogy with Sandman and Harry Osborn, but the fans became a problem. It has been my experience that fans have no idea what they want. They THINK they want something, and if somebody who doesn't want the same thing listens to them, they end up disappointed with what they got. So the fans of Spider-Man all love a certain villain. Venom. Look I get it, he's big and black and scary and cool...but they all clambered so much for it on the internet that someone at the studios heard them. So the studios began to push Raimi to include this symbiont monster in his film series. Now Raimi is a Spider-Man fan, he grew up on the comics. He was making films that tribute those very comics he grew up loving. So the villains had all been from that era...and he wanted to include one more before wrapping it all up: Sandman. Venom came from this era after Raimi grew up, he never read Spider-Man comics with Venom, therefore he didn't care about that character, and he had no interest in pursuing him. <br />
<br />
But the fans were all moaning, and the studios pushed him, and he gave in. Venom would be in the movie. But he didn't want to relent on the story he already had in mind...he wanted to finish up the arcs he started and close off the series HE BEGAN. So he shoe-horned the symbiont and Venom storyline into an already packed script and what we got is a messy sloppy film. The problem is that it is two REALLY DIFFERENT films with two REALLY DIFFERENT toes with two REALLY PACKED plots. Things had to be dropped from each plot line, so holes are abundant.<br />
<br />
Here is how I felt things could've worked - Instead of just giving in, Raimi should have compromised. There is such a emphasis on trilogies these days because of Star Wars, that everyone thinks you have to adhere to the three act structure and just make three films. Stop at three! While it is also true that some series can go on and on to the point that they lose all meaning, I sort of feel that you can make the occasional exception. I think Spider-Man should have been a four part series. In hindsight this makes the most sense to me. <br />
<br />
So in this alternate reality I'm creating here is how it goes down. Spider-Man 3 picks up where 2 left off. The main villain is Sandman (because he was cool), leave it at him. So the story is about Peter Parker struggling to juggle being Spidey and fighting off the escaped convict turned super-villain Sandman (being a convict with sudden super powers is enough for our hero to want to defeat him, we don't need the personal connection of retconning this guy as being the TRUE killer of Peter's uncle), trying to make his new relationship with Mary Jane work out, and professionally trying to get the promotion to full time photographer against the new freelance guy Eddie Brock. So the movie should introduce elements of Venom and the symbiont (perhaps) but they should just be foreshadowing for the next and final installment of the series. <br />
<br />
Harry Osborn should be limited to just training and figuring out how to work all his dad's equipment to become the new Goblin. He could try to work with Sandman maybe, but his main focus should be getting revenge himself, figuring out his dad's secrets and just training to be that new Goblin. <br />
<br />
The film could even end on a bit of a cliffhanger. Have the symbiont coming down to Earth (guaranteeing the nerds that there wishes WILL come true and automatically securing butts in seats when the next film comes out for the studios). You end the film with Sandman defeated or being let go or whatever (it doesn't really matter to me), and you reveal that Harry is ready to be the New Goblin. You have a breif scene at the end where this new Goblin emerges, sort of like the scene where Harry discovers his father's lab near the end of Spider-Man 2. <br />
<br />
I wouldn't even mind if this film had another climax with MJ in peril, and Peter/Spidey forced yet again to save her. My thoughts are that he succeeds, but his sort of lack of attention to her throughout the film and once again being put into deadly peril just because of her boyfriend should lead her to really reconsider their relationship...thus leaving Peter both relieved that he's defeated his enemy, and defeated that he's lost the girl he's tried so hard to get. <br />
<br />
Spider-Man 4 would focus almost entirely on the symbiont/Venom storyline. You take all that stuff from the actual Spider-Man 3, and you expand it here. You start the film off with Peter really trying to leave Spidey behind him, and focusing on his career and Mary Jane. One of my problems with the actual movie is that Peter is ignoring the shit of her from the start, taking her for granted and being an arrogant jerk BEFORE he gets the symbiont attached to him. I think the idea of not focusing on her is fine, but he should be really trying before the symbiont takes over. <br />
<br />
So with no real super villain in town, Peter is free to work at his personal life, but then Harry strikes as the new Goblin. I don't know, maybe he just uses the bombs to blow something minor up to get Peter's attention. Spider-Man reacts and we get a good fight scene. No one should win either, it should be like this new Goblin has been training harder than his father, and is more of a match for Spider-Man than Norman ever was...so the fight should end with Harry's board malfunctioning or something (due to some Spider-Man action), and Spidey getting away to recover. <br />
<br />
Then Peter gets attached to the symbiont. Same kinda stuff as in the actual film, he gets attached, its weird for him at first...no knowing where it came from. But it feels good, and powerful, and he gets into it. So instead of the seen where black-suited Spider-Man confronts and fights Sandman in the subway...it should be this black-suited more powerful and angry Spider-man taking on Harry again. Peter should be fueled by the anger and annoyance that his old friend is out to get him because his dad was a dick, and he should really kick the crap out of Harry...so much so that he ends up in the hospital. <br />
<br />
Spidey goes on fighting crime in this new symbiont suit, a little angrier than he once was. Instead of acting cocky and arrogant, he should just be a bit colder and distant to Mary Jane, shoving her away more than he ever has before. We should have the same little plot point in which Eddie Brock forges an image to get Peter's promotion, and Peter bitterly shows him for what he is in front of the Daily Bugle staff. <br />
<br />
Mary Jane should flat out leave him, and that when Peter decides to go to the church and lose the symbiont (just as in the real film he should get a hint that bells weaken the suit). He sees what a mess he's made. Being an violent Spider-man, a jerk boyfriend, putting his oldest friend in the hospital, and ruining the career of a misguided young photographer...and he decides to take action. For me, the church scene, with Eddie Brock asking for help and Peter losing the suit should be the same as it was...and by the end Brock is both Venom and knows who Spider-Man really is. <br />
<br />
Now you go on to the climax, in which we just get an all out showdown between Venom and Spidey in the streets of New York. Screw MJ in peril now, it should be just Venom rampaging and Spidey trying to stop him. Now we've got an end. <br />
<br />
You wrap things up with Harry coming to or something thinking things over, and maybe even having the somewhat lame end of Harry coming to help his old friend. Venom could kill him in the process, and Pete could take down Venom with a similar chime end. <br />
<br />
<br />
So there are my thoughts on how to make one mixed film into two solid films. I don't know if it would work...but my brain has been rambling about it for a while.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-7869184760485353542011-03-24T05:10:00.000-04:002011-03-24T05:10:31.515-04:00Chapter 100: Things I Would Do With a Time MachineIf I had a time machine, there are several things I would do, most of which would only slightly alter the timeline, but nothing so catastrophic as to cause a temporal paradox that would unmake creation (granted thats just a worst case scenario). <br />
<br />
So the first thing I would do, is go back in time and manage the money at Video Theatre a little better, just so it could stay afloat until I can find a real good full time position somewhere...because this factory is bullshit. That store, with all of its tedious crap and nonsense and customers that constantly interrupted Dick Tracy...was a wonderful place to work, that gave me 100 wonderful stories I still tell, and taught me about pron genres I never could've imagined, and had hilarious people to work with. It was, without a doubt, a fun job. Given a choice of spending my life at WVIZ or Video Theatre, I would choose WVIZ any day...but there is part of me that misses not really working and just watching a good movie. <br />
<br />
The next thing I would do is travel back to 1963, to England...with a VCR. There I would record all the missing Doctor Who episodes from that era. That way I could shut a lot of people up on the Doctor Who Forum, who constantly bitch about animations. Also it would give Ian Levine a lot less to boast about. Screw that guy. <br />
<br />
Next I'll make a stop off in the 1990s, where I will both expose the ponytail as being a really bad idea (the ponytail is the mullet of the 1990s), and convince Warner Bros. to keep Tim Burton on for a third Batman, and convince Tim Burton to totally make the Billy Dee Williams Harvey Dent/Two-Face storyline I still crave. Think about it? Michael Keaton...Billy Dee Williams as a bad ass BLACK Two-Face. like instead the green or purple or blue...you just make him WHITE on one side...like he loses skin pigmentation, and he goes BATSHIT! BAT! get it? <br />
<br />
Anyhow I would then travel to 2013, where I would have a lengthy talk with Michael Keaton about returning to the role of Batman for a story about an aging Batman, or Batman Beyond where he makes his triumphant return. I love Michael Keaton as Batman!<br />
<br />
Then maybe I'd go back to 1993, and kidnap George Lucas, take him to the year 7300, where I will leave him before he can do any of his damage. <br />
<br />
Then I'd return back to the present, and watch tons of Doctor Who and Batman and Two-Face, at the video store I work at while I'm just an on-call for WVIZ...and life would be sweet.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-37055688730956024692011-03-20T07:02:00.001-04:002011-03-20T17:43:10.730-04:00Chapter 99: Rambling About Things That Don't MatterI was thinking about the fourth Indiana Jones movie, and why I disliked it so much. Many of the reasons have probably been said time and time again, but I wanted to get some of my issues out before Mr. Plinkett can beat me to it. <br />
<br />
#1: Opening Sequence<br />
Each Indiana Jones film has opened with a great sequence. Raiders has the brilliant walk through the jungle, into the cave and the subsequent giant ball chase. There is really no topping Raiders in ANY of the categories I complain about for Crystal Skull. Temple of Doom opens with an old Hollywood style musical number and then moves into an exciting fight and chase scene in which Indy must get the antidote to the poison he's drank. Then Last Crusade has the lovely young Indy gets his hat sequence. All are fun and set the tone for the subsequent films. The most important point to note is that they all reintroduce Indiana Jones as a character as if this is a brand new film...not a sequel. If you never saw Raiders and you see that opening of young Indy in Last Crusade, its like its a fun sequence showing you how the guy you are about to watch came to be the thrill seeking archeologist that he is. The thing I really like is that Indy loses in all three sequences. He struggles in each, and just when he thinks he has won, he loses in some way. Raiders he gets the idol taken away by Belloq. In Temple he gets the antidote and escapes...but onto a plane owned by the man he is trying to escape. Then in Crusade he loses the very artifact he was trying to rescue. These ending moments to the sequences set the tone that our hero is a guy who can't always win. He gets the crap kicked out of him, often losing many battles but winning the war. He's the underdog. Indiana Jones is great character because of this. <br />
<br />
So how does Kingdom of the Crystal Skull begin. Well for some reason Indy and some guy names Mac have been forced by the Soviets to find a crate featuring what is not so subtly hinted at to be an alien. Then for some unknown reason Indy ends up on a nuclear test site...and manages to save himself by getting into a fridge. Somehow the fridge is magically shot to safety even though absolutely nothing else is shot out of the explosion, and he survives, and just looks up at the big ol' CG explosion as a CG prairie dog runs into its little hole. <br />
<br />
Frankly while the chase within the big storage area was decent, it also used Indy's whip like Spider-Man's web...making you constantly question what the hell it is latching on to. Then the nuclear test site thing is so lame and boring I can't fathom who thought it was going to work. Nothing happens on the site, except Indy running around looking for an out, before finding one that conveniently works. If more things were being shot out, MAYBE I could have suspended my disbelief, but seriously...how lucky he managed to find the ONE item that was going to be shot to safety. You can't break the rules you make within a film, and when everything else was just being destroyed, this magical fridge wasn't. It set a tone that I couldn't really buy anything that was going to follow. <br />
<br />
#2: Characters<br />
Indiana Jones - Harrison Ford begged Lucas and Spielberg to return to this role. After wearing both of them down, and he finally gets the chance to be in a movie that he supposedly likes, he looks just as bored and disinterested as he has in almost every film he's been in the past 10 years. What happened to the guy? Ford used to be awesome! Whether it was Indy, Han Solo, Jack Ryan, Richard Kimble...he was a great actor to watch. Lately he chooses projects that are either dull or uninteresting, and whenever I see clips he looks like he has no interest in even acting anymore. I personally felt that he didn't seem to be giving his all to Indy 4. Others seem to disagree, maybe just pleased to see him wear the hat again. I think he's too old for the role now. I felt the same way about Nimoy popping on the old ears for the latest Star Trek. Its best to bow out gracefully. <br />
<br />
Now Ford's rather mediocre performance aside, what do we learn about his character in this one. Apparently he was a WWII hero. That seems odd to me. I don't really see him in a military fashion, especially since he'd be in his mid to late 30s, if not 40s by the time World War II rolled around for the US. But he joined up and they must've fast promoted him so he could punch some Nazis. <br />
<br />
I don't something about the character seemed off, it didn't feel as much like I was seeing Indiana Jones again, but more like one of those direct to video knock offs made in the 80s. <br />
<br />
Mutt Williams - Annoying greaser kid, who unsurprisingly turns out to be Indy's son. Yeah, saw that coming a million miles away, makes me actually want to hit Indy for a couple reasons: first he DIDN'T see it coming, therefore he looks like a moron, and secondly the guy is now a deadbeat dad. Thanks George Lucas. <br />
<br />
Marion Ravenwood - Karen Allen hasn't barely acted at all for years, or if she has its been mostly in things I never saw. She clearly couldn't remember what Marion was like at all, as her character is almost nothing like she was in Raiders. It could've been any stand in woman, and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference...but to try and convince more people this is in fact a sequel, they brought back Marion. Too bad Allen had no clue what she was doing. <br />
<br />
Irina Spalko - From her first bit of dialogue...I had trouble not thinking "MOOSE AND SQUIRREL!" I actually found Blanchett to be a very ineffective villain. She, like most communist Russians, don't come off so much as scary, as they would in the 60s, but more comical. Nazis are far more scarier than any Soviet could ever be. Her motivations also never seemed to clear to me. <br />
<br />
#3: Tone, Style, and Effects<br />
The film doesn't stylistically even look like the first three films. Missing is original cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, and the film looks more like the Raiders-inspired Mummy films than Raiders itself. It doesn't evoke the same feeling, and looks too modern at times<br />
<br />
Originally Spielberg and Lucas claimed that they would use CGI minimally, and rely more on practical effects. But then they soon decided that would be too hard. This sort of brings me to another tangent: You know how old people tend to be bad with computers, getting excited by accomplishing the simplest tasks? I sort of feel like a lot of older filmmakers from the 70s and 80s sort of work the same way with new film-making tech. James Cameron shows off his blue people but has no story to his film at all. Lucas makes the messes that are the prequels and does so with tons of CG and little to no story. So I feel like all these old folks who used to make great films are over-relying on computers to make their films for them...they don't see the value in the struggles they went through to make great pictures, and now they take the lazy and easy route, overusing CG. <br />
<br />
So here is Indiana Jones 4, and by the 10 minute mark we have already seen a CG nuclear explosion, some CG prairie dogs, and some CG boxes in the warehouse. Seriously? CG boxes? You couldn't find some BOXES? I knew from the moment the door to that warehouse opened and I could spot the CG-ness of the the place that we were in trouble. <br />
<br />
Later we have the car chase in the Jungle, and instead of just filming a really good sequence that speaks for itself, I can spot the CG backgrounds and plants that zoom by, and I feel like I'm watching some cars on a green screen most of the time. I never felt like they were in the action the same way I do when I see the truck sequence in Raiders, or the tank sequence in Crusade. On top of that we get Mutt (a character I could barely stand anyways) swinging from tree to tree (again like Spider-Man...what the hell was up with this move and evoking Spider-Man) like Tarzan (even bellowing like him I think...and if he didn't I DEFINITELY felt like I heard it) WITH CGI MONKEYS! There wasn't a moment of this sequence I bought. What boggles my mind is often people seem to cite this as an example of one of the good moments of the film. <br />
<br />
The thing that really gets me though is that I found the actual adventure to be kind of dull and boring. There's a motorcycle chase, a car chase in the jungle, the ants, and being inside the mountain, but all of it feel so spread out. They tried to have character development in between all that, but the development wasn't nearly as great as when things slowed down in Last Crusade, and they actually used the action TO grow the relationship between Indy and his dad. This time its like they stop the action, have lame conversations between Marion, Indy, and Mutt...and then it takes a while to find the next action sequence. It just doesn't flow as well as Raiders, Temple, or Crusade. <br />
<br />
The worst sequence they came up with was the quicksand...in which Indy and Marion get caught in a cliche, and the only thing Mutt can find for them to grab is a big old snake. I think the best way to sum this up is by quoting this guy in a trench coat who came alone to the theater when we saw this "Oh...Indy hates snakes!" Oh that's right...I forgot. Thank god this was thrown in. The actual slipping into the quicksand is slow and dull, while the whole thing is just a set up for a snake gag.<br />
<br />
#4: The Creepy Crawlies<br />
So Raiders had a room full of snakes. Following in that tradition Temple had a room filled with bugs. Then Crusade had a tunnel filled with rats. So how do we top it? Speilberg and Lucas landed on the ever dreadful...fire ants! First off, ants are NEVER scary, and barely even creepy. Also they do not DEVOUR PEOPLE WHOLE. The snakes, bugs, and rats were mostly there to just give a character or two (and the audience) the willies. Now they are EATING PEOPLE? And these ants seemed Super organized. Having recently just seen the Brendon Frazer Mummy films i can't help but notice the bug comparison. <br />
<br />
In actuality, you want to give folks the willies for a small sequence like the previous films, it can't be that hard to do something in a similar vein. Spiders? I don't know, I think they really did all they could do with rats. Actually I feel that way about Last Crusade altogether...it said everything the series really had left to say. This film is like some unwanted epilogue, that adds little to the saga.<br />
<br />
#5: Endings<br />
So Raiders has the ultimate of ultimates in terms of great endings. After the bad guys are destroyed by opening the ark, we get that wonderful final shot of the Ark being boarded up and hidden away in a warehouse. It is one of the most brilliant ending shots of any film ever made. <br />
<br />
Temple of Doom is admittedly less thrilling, Indy kissing the annoying girl in the film, while the kids he rescued cheer them. Its alright for that film, but it isn't iconic in any way. <br />
<br />
Then comes Last Crusade, which ends the series on a high note, and has our hero, his friends and his father riding off into the sunset. It is exactly how you want Indiana Jones, or a film series like Indiana Jones, to end. By sailing off to more unknown adventures. It really brought a sense of closure to the whole thing. I never wanted them to make a fourth film, purely because I felt that final shot would be tainted, and that after so many years it could only be a disappointment, especially having seen Lucas' prequels to Star Wars. <br />
<br />
How does Indy 4 end? Well first we get our characters finding the aliens, which are so generic it hurts, and the aliens loading up the villain with knowledge until she becomes a CGI gas (which is exactly how George Lucas is going to die)...then they decide to go home or something, and the mountain they reside in, turns into a spaceship and flies away. Let me get something straight: I am annoyed by anyone who uses the argument that this series has always had a supernatural element, thus you can't complain about the aliens here. I disagree, yes there has always been a supernatural element to the Indy series, but it was never quite as obnoxious and overwhelming as the CG aliens were. I also prefer ghosts and mystical things with this particular series. I know they were going for a more 50s B-movie style with this one, and not so much with the 30s serial style...but I love Indiana Jones PURELY because it evokes this 30s style. I don't feel like 50s B-movie Sci-Fi meshes well with Indy, and its jarring to say the least. It just took the series in a direction it never needed to go, and doesn't quite make sense to go. <br />
<br />
I also feel like the Ark of the Covenant, Sankara Stones, and Holy Grail had a bit more mysticism to them, where the Crystal Skull and aliens seem less magic and more practical...like the explanation is they come from another world, whereas the other items require more mysticism. Aliens were also just tons of less interesting.<br />
<br />
Then the final end...in which Indiana Jones getting marries Marion Ravenwood. Its like some bad fan fiction. This is that kind of ending that gives people closure they never asked for or wanted or needed. It also feels forced and not in line with the series as a whole...and who else wants to HIT Shia for trying to pop on Indiana Jones' hat. Screw you kid. <br />
<br />
#6: Conclusion<br />
The fourth film should not have been made. I hate that we just keep getting these fraudulent sequels and remakes these days. Like no one has any original ideas for films. In the past decade I can think of so few films of the sci-fi/fantasy/adventure/horror genre that was purely original. A long time ago, one of the first purely original fantasy films (meaning not even based on a book) was King Kong. In the 70s/80s we had Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Predator, Terminator, Robocop, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Beetlejuice. There are more I'm sure...but the point is, despite there being some decent film franchises cropping up in the last decade, most had to be based on something...an old film, a book (or book series), a game, a ride, a comic, or just continuing a film series that has already died. <br />
<br />
So basically I was just watching the good movies, and they made me think about all the problems I have with Indy 4, and really the problems are with all those good old filmmakers. Speilberg, Lucas, Carpenter, Scott, Cameron, Zemeckis, Landis...have any made a really good film lately? In the Mid to late 70s and throughout the 80s, and tapering off in the mid 90s, these guys were constantly making great entertaining films. Now if they continue to work at all, they make lame crap that uses CGI too much. <br />
<br />
On top of that barely any young filmmakers have stepped up to take their place. Those guys grew up watching movies and serials, and wanted to make films inspired by them. They created franchises and instant classics. For the most part it seems like Hollywood is filled with people who are like me, who loved watching the films the aforementioned filmmakers made...but instead of trying to make films inspired by those filmmakers...they seem to just want to remake them, with shiny new effects and less story and character and heart. <br />
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There are a few filmmakers I really like these days. Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Edgar Wright, The Coen Bros, and Christopher Nolan. But fun-filled sci-fi/fantasy/action/adventure films like the ones made by that group from the 80s? I'm not sure anyone these days are going to step up to the plate. <br />
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#7: For the Record<br />
Here's a list of films/franchises that I did enjoy from the past ten or fifteen years, I'll indicate which ACTUALLY were original to film, so you can see how pathetic Hollywood is when it comes to completely new ideas.<br />
<br />
Lord of the Rings Series (books)<br />
The Matrix Series (original)<br />
Pirates of the Caribbean Series (Ride, but mostly Original since it has little to do with the ride)<br />
Spider-Man Series (comics)<br />
Nolan's Batman Series (comics)<br />
Inception (original)<br />
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (comic)<br />
Star Trek (TV series)<br />
Where the Wild Things Are (book)<br />
Fantastic Mr. Fox (book)<br />
Wall-E (original)<br />
Up (original)<br />
The Incredibles (original)<br />
<br />
Sadly, the most original guys in Hollywood right now are Pixar, and of their 3 announced next projects, only one called "Brave" is original, the other to are sequels. That kind of disappoints me, because their track record of brilliant original work has been so great...I'd hate for them to devolve into a sle of sequels like all other companies.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-335481090051596362011-03-13T16:09:00.000-04:002011-03-13T16:09:39.773-04:00Chapter 98: Asking the GirlSo as my long ass previous blog post made clear: I asked Megan to marry me. She said yes, which is pretty shocking considering that I've been sort of hounded for a year or so. But be clear, I didn't ask because I was hounded, I asked because I really thought about it, and it was what I wanted to do. So here is a little amendment to the previous tale, for her, because she wants the story written down. <br />
<br />
Essentially I decided like a year or more ago that it wasn't just some inevitable thing in our relationship, but a definitive one with a date and time and plan. The plan, luckily, went off without a hitch. I decided that I would take her to the pavilion with the fireplace where we had long joked about my inability to kiss her, and have a fire going when we got there, and ask her in front of the fire. I bought the ring before Christmas even, and had to resort to getting her a lame Christmas gift (nothing says "I love you" like the gift of a Weezer CD). But I had the date, the time, the place...<br />
<br />
THE PLACE...god what if its a nice day and some loser family decides to have a picnic then...SO I called up the Metro Parks and booked the pavilion for the afternoon. <br />
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It ended up snowing, so no family was going to get in our way, but at least I booked it and had fire wood for me and everything. My parents and I went and got the fire going, and they tended to the fire while I went to go pick her up, then sent them a text to high-tail it out of there when we got to the park. We walked the trail, it really was a pretty looking layer of snow all around, and we got to the pavilion, fire roaring, luckily still within the fireplace, and when we sat down, I told her how much I loved her and did the one-knee thing. And then she was in shock for a while. <br />
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It was nice, she is happy as hell and went dress shopping the very next day with her mother and my mother. Oh joy. A year and a half (or in that ballpark) of planning to go.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-53637791519995078592011-03-13T01:35:00.001-05:002011-03-13T01:35:41.395-05:00Chapter 97: The Longest, Most Honest, (Possibly Boring), and Most Personal Tale I’ll Tell6 years ago, I was wallowing in my own misery. I had, in fact, been rejected by a girl I was seriously into. I was already 17, how would I ever find time to meet someone else…at the rate I was going I was sure to die alone. <br />
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It boiled down to this. I liked a girl. We met, became good friends, then rather close, talking nearly everyday. I filled a lot of my time talking to her. But I made the mistake of trying to be more than friends, when I was so clearly in the friend zone. So I took a fairly unromantic and lame approach, asked her out in an instant message (cowardice really, fear of being rejected face to face). She rejected it, and like any self-respecting 17 year old I acted miserable about it for a while. But a major consequence of asking her out was that we really were not talking as much as we had been, thus leaving major gaps in my time to fill. <br />
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So I began to talk to others (a wise choice really, no one should end up talking to themselves). I believe one conversation I had was with a girl and about robots (a subject I have become only more of an authority on since we last spoke). She seemed to have enjoyed our robot conversation for I was invited to her birthday party. Now I must admit, I wasn’t often invited to parties in high school (or anytime in my life really), and this was something strange and new. I mostly hung out with the same three guys all the time. I decided to go. <br />
<br />
Now for the most part, the party wasn’t terribly fun. I admit this is not really the party-throwers fault, but really just most of her guests were the smarter kids in school. So:<br />
<br />
1) they weren’t the rowdiest group of folks<br />
2) I hardly new any of them and wasn’t in on most of their jokes<br />
3) I was also a closed off and miserable bore pining for the friend I lost. <br />
<br />
But there was a glimmer of hope. One person who was doing nothing but cracking jokes, acting silly, being slightly obnoxious…and it must be said: looked totally hot. Now in most people’s hands, attempting to be the life of a party ends in disaster, coming off as totally irritating and not completely welcome. Somehow she pulled it off, and it came off as endearing.<br />
<br />
I had known of her since elementary school, saw her name on an Honor’s roll list probably. She was in the same grade as my brother. I had definitely seen her around before. I had only once met her briefly at one of those miserable school dances where you go without a date and just mill around all night. She was very clearly trying to attract the attentions of my friend that evening. She said my hair looked greasy (which admittedly, it really kinda did), and I can’t say I felt bad for her when my friend made out with a cheerleader at the end of the night. <br />
<br />
But at this party my hair wasn’t too greasy, and she was looking good (I usually like a more dressed down look than a more gussied up one) and being fun and said only nice things to me. She complimented my Chuck Taylors, and I believe I reciprocated and complimented hers. Then she proceeded to tell me a story, which ended up boiling down to the fact that she hated dogs. Needless to say I was immediately attracted. I made a decision in my head at that very moment “stick with this girl all night, but don’t try and make it look like you are trying to stick with her”. <br />
<br />
So we became friends and we started to chat online a bit. This is where I learned of the one snag with this girl: boyfriend. We had only really talked online for a couple days or a week or something, so deciding to cut off all communications with her was kind of easy. We had no classes together, we didn’t really run in the same circles, and at this point we had only really talked in AIM. So I just decided that if I don’t contact her for a bit, and she didn’t start up any conversations, the friendship would just fade like so many do. No big deal. <br />
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It looks terrible but I had logical reasons at the time:<br />
<br />
1) I was a dick.<br />
2) I was a coward.<br />
3) I had a bad track record of falling for girls who either had boyfriends or whom I had already entered the friend zone. <br />
<br />
So I was bound and determined not to befriend her, get trapped in the friend zone, and then fall completely for her (as I was clearly on the track of doing) only to have her dump this joker and end up not being the one she turns too. Like I said: dick/coward. <br />
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And it worked. We sort of slowly stopped talking, and I moved on. Sadly I most likely moved on from her and back into wallowing in my own misery over the first girl. Luckily, that didn’t really last long. I started to get over it, as you do, and realized that I was pretty much an idiot for both wanting to pursue a relationship with her and even liking her as much as I had in the first place. So I became a much happier dude, with no lady in his life, getting accepted into UT and just ready to end high school.<br />
<br />
But my plan backfired, suddenly walking to class on the first day of my final semester, I ran into the girl from the party in the hallway…and we were heading to the same computer class. I didn’t really see this is as a bad thing, in fact I wasn’t even thinking about how I cut off communication with her before. But we said hi, and caught up and then we began this class. We ended up sitting nearby each other. And talking. A lot. Even online again. And she still had that boyfriend. And I was developing a crush. And she still had that BOYFRIEND. GREAT. <br />
<br />
I invited her to go to a little concert my friends and I were playing at Scott’s Folkatorium*. Then she subtly mentioned how her loser boyfriend wasn’t even considering taking her to the Winter Formal dance. I thought I’d be charming and ask her to the dance, which I did, and she accepted. I say I thought I’d be charming because I genuinely thought “what a smooth way to get rid of that loser she’s with”, but in reality it was part of her grand design…to get rid of that loser she was with. I basically did everything she was hoping for. She’d drop hints, and not being able to read women at all, I haphazardly would just follow her instructions, thinking I was being the clever one. <br />
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Soon was the Winter Formal, for me it was just a night of furthering my feelings for her…but the problem persisted: boyfriend. Clearly, after winter formal, we were both caught up in it. I don’t think either of us was of the opinion that we weren’t going to go for it; it was just a matter of when. <br />
<br />
Anyhow she came to the show, and I mostly remember thinking, “Don’t just stare at her all night, it’ll freak her out.” I was, of course, completely incapable of completing that task. I glanced at her seat most of the night. Granted there were only 15 or so people in the audience, but I couldn’t remember a single other one of them. Luckily, it didn’t freak her out and she seemed to be into it. It was strange. At the end of the show she very clearly exclaimed to her friends that she wished to have ice cream (her web was being spun, and I am the fly), and that they should venture to Denny’s. I suggested the same thing to my friends (who had performed with me that evening) and they agreed. “This should go well” I thought. Unfortunately everyone else from our audience that night also seemed to think it was a tremendous plan. <br />
<br />
So now instead two small groups at Denny’s trying to get ice cream as an attempt for myself and the girl to sit next to each other, now a whole group of noisy asshole teenagers are going to Denny’s and I can’t even get a seat on the same end of the table as her. She tried to move over next to me, but after some waiters were kind of rude to my friends (granted we were 15 asshole noisy teenagers pissing off the staff of Denny’s), and they demanded to leave. Being that I was the only one of my friends with a license at that time…I was sort of stuck leaving. Denny’s was a massive failure. <br />
<br />
The next day we spoke online, she told me how much she enjoyed the show, but lamented how she still hadn’t filled the ice cream sized hole in her heart. Denny’s had been out or ice cream. Once again unwittingly taking the hint, I offered to take her to Dairy Queen. It was the first time we were really just sitting together, without anyone else around. It wasn’t a classroom, it wasn’t show, it wasn’t online, and it sure as hell wasn’t Denny’s. So we sat. And we talked. I often dodge answering this question because I am never too sure if it was here or at the Folkatorium show…but this quite possibly is the moment I started feeling it wasn’t just another dumb crush. I genuinely liked being with her. <br />
<br />
One night she sent me this cryptic message: “I kind of just broke up with my boyfriend”. She wasn’t online long enough following this statement, and I was left for the better part of a week wondering, “What the hell does ‘kind of’ mean”. KIND OF? Did you or didn’t you? Finally it became pretty clear that she had, in fact, dumped his ass. <br />
<br />
We hung out a little more. We went for a walk in Goodyear Metro Park, ending up at a pavilion with a fire going in a fireplace. We sat by it for several minutes as I contemplated and chickened out of actually kissing her or asking her out and fairly romantic setting we just happened upon. Let me allow this moment for clarity: I AM A MORON. Unfortunately in a far less romantic setting we had our first kiss that night: during the end credits of Edward Scissorhands, holy cow I’m class. <br />
<br />
So I worked it all out, wrote her a song (yea I can put you sorry bastards to shame when I need to make up for not kissing her by the damn fire), took her out to her favorite pizza place, brought her back to my hour where I sung her the song…and then we were a couple. Boom. <br />
<br />
That leads us to today. For years our lives have become so intertwined that I can barely picture any life without her. This includes the future. She is the perfect girl for me. I mean that. She seems to think I am an attractive guy…I’ll take it, and she is always supportive of me (even if I am just a loser spending most of my time not with her watching Star Trek and Doctor Who). I personally think she is one of the most gorgeous girls on the planet. She’ll tell you her nose looks funny or that her ears stick out, but to me all other noses are inferior and I LOVE that her ears stick out. I mean it. I find them to be one of those qualities that are so her and I can’t help but find attractive. She also happens to be really smart, and is always fun to be around and a good person to talk to always. <br />
<br />
We have spent most of our relationship with distance. First she was in Akron while I was in Toledo, then she came to BG (but our conflicting schedules made even that much shorter distance difficult to see each other more than once a week), and now she is finishing up school in BG while I am the one back in Akron. With the help of cell phones, texting, e-mail, Facebook, and Skype…we have managed to make it work. For five years. That is a long time really, especially for a relationship that started mere months before I left for college. I’d being lying if I said I didn’t think it would all go to hell after that first summer. But it never did. <br />
<br />
So yesterday, March 11, 2011, our anniversary, I took Megan on the same trail we walked five years ago, to the same pavilion, to find (to her surprise) yet another fire burning in that same fireplace…and I made up for not kissing the damn girl. <br />
<br />
Megan Elizabeth Erwin and I are getting married, and I couldn’t be happier. <br />
<br />
<br />
*Scott’s Folkatorium was, in fact, one of the greatest places in the history of the universe. In the back was a real small concert venue: little stage, and could fit probably somewhere between 50 to 100 people. I can’t really remember how many people could fit and how many were legally allowed. But it was small and cool. But in the front, oh in the front…it was the most amazing store of crazy old trinkets and knick-knacks, of toys and antiques, collectables and Happy Meal toys still in the packaging, and even old signs and license plates. Anything odd or amazing or strange you could find in some corner somewhere. I can still hear the enthusiasm in Scott’s voice when Matt and I questioned him about a bag we found, and his eyes got real big and excited as he exclaimed “Oh! Now THAT is a bag of Genuine Antique Jockstraps”. Like I said, you could find any number of strange things in that store. My brother Curt still has his Dick Goddard Bobblehead from that place. Sadly a couple of years after I met him and most of this story takes place: Scott, owner and founder of that wonderful place, passed away, and the magic store closed its doors forever. Scott was tremendous guy, really fun to chat with, a totally eccentric old hippy who was always encouraging to us and our little music, even when our second show didn’t even make half as much as our first show did at the door. I might give many a thing to get one more day to browse the nonsense in that place. <br />
<br />
<b>Author’s Ending Note: </b>I am a fairly private person. I am often quiet and closed off when I meet people, and as a result I occasionally do not make new friends easily. It takes me a couple weeks to start opening up around people and being myself. So as a private person, I usually boil this story down to the bare-essentials when asked: “We went to the same elementary, middle, and high school…and we met a party.” That is usually all I say. I don’t want to monopolize a conversation with all the details of how we came to be, and most seem to like that version, mostly because they don’t REALLY care how we met. Anyhow, I decided the occasion was right to tell my whole version, especially because MEGAN seems so interested to hear how I would tell it. So from my perspective these are the events as they were. You better be balling.**<br />
<br />
**Last sentence directed solely at Megan.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-82427109407332710912011-02-24T20:58:00.000-05:002011-02-24T20:58:20.266-05:00Chapter 96: Irma La DouceWhen I was 6 years old, my father was watching a movie. This happened on more than one occasion. There have been a few movies in which my vague recollections made it difficult to find the films as an adult. Some were easier to find than others. I found "Spaced Invaders", a cheesy little family film about some misfit aliens while working at Video Theatre...bought it for like a dollar. "Freaked" I stumbled upon in the screeners bin at the store as well...it was actually the two-disc edition, thrown in there for some odd reason. FREE.<br />
<br />
But one film has been alluding me longer than any other, with only the vaguest of memory of the imagery to help in my search. 17 years I've tried to find it. I've googled the hell out of my vague descriptions, and asked friends and family alike. No one had even the slightest hint of what I was babbling about. <br />
<br />
Doctor Who has once again saved my life. On the Gallifrey Base (a Doctor Who forum I frequent) I discovered a thread of people literally giving just as vague descriptions of films as I had...and getting answers. Tons of us have these movies that we can only remember a little, and we need someone to tell us because google has failed us. So I posted my description, and hoped for the best. I got a possible answer, I borrowed it from the library, I found it. <br />
<br />
I gave a digital high five to the guy who suggested "Irma La Douce"...as while the film turned out to be a sort of average wacky comedy from the early 60s (with a story about French whores...totally inappropriate for 6 year old me)...I'm so pleased that my 17 year long effort to find this film is over.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-24201293045490535822011-02-03T22:28:00.000-05:002011-02-03T22:28:51.912-05:00Chapter 95: The CentreSo I'm testing out Tumblr. From what I can tell there is no way I will be relocating this site there EVER. It isn't suitable for all the customiz-ability I get here at blogger...besides, if I ever wish to relocate the whole site, it will not be to some other blogging site, it would be my own creation. <br />
<br />
But Tumblr does have some features I like. It is, for example, really easy to upload both music and pictures, which would make it the best site I've found for adding my little music and photoshop excursions. I've not been 100% satisfied with Alonetone, it has been decent, but it just is a little too inconvenient. So the player on the right will probably soon disappear, I will delete my alontone account completely and I will begin uploading all of the songs onto my new Tumblr account, as well as all of my photoshop creations. <br />
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I'm unsure if all this is going to work, but I'm going to give it a shot for now. See what happens.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-55446501578728755342011-01-28T16:35:00.000-05:002011-01-28T16:35:33.564-05:00Chapter 94: InvasionI am not a cool guy. Looking around this blog (or simply glancing to your left and seeing my separate Trek and Who reviews) will prove this inconclusively. That said m latest adventure in movie watching seems to be Planet of the Apes. I have only seen the original and the 2001 remake. So in reading a review of the blu-ray collection of all the films, I decided I'd like to give them all a try. Especially considering how Apes is a franchise that create sci-fi/fantasy franchises in film...a subject I am quite familiar with. <br />
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So I requested all of them from the library. As can be expected the only one that is not ready for pick up is the very first, it seems to be checked out. So I'm trying to watch it online so I can jog m memory as to all that went on before jumping into the sequels. Sadly it isn't all loading fast enough and I can't seem to just watch the damn movie. So I am writing here. I have to say that so far the film is about 10 times better than I remembered it being. I really ought to re-watch other films regarded as classics I wasn't terribly impressed by when I was a teenager. Clearly my mind has matured to a level that really appreciates Planet of the Apes. I am glad I watched a documentary about Rod Serling when I was in a Twilight Zone mood, since his involvement in this picture has got me watching what is clearly a fantastic film. <br />
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Anyhow, I once spoke ill of 20th Century Fox for releasing some shitty blu-rays. I think they did at first, but they've really started to shell out some of the best out there now. I retract my previous comments towards them and redirect them to MGM...who really need to get there shit together in all aspects, not just blu-rays. By the way: Warner Bros, Disney, and now 20th Century Fox seem to be kicking major ass in the blu-ray release world, often restoring films to qualities unseen since original theatrical release (and sometimes they were originally released YEARS ago). <br />
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Boy, I don't know why I am so into this stuff.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-25723891783357284042011-01-23T05:42:00.000-05:002011-01-23T05:42:57.280-05:00Chapter 93: Crater of NeedlesI just finished up watching Caprica, the spin-off to Ronald D. Moore's fantastic Battlestar Galactica re-imagining. Damn. <br />
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So Caprica was a show that dragged its feet. It had a pretty solid pilot and a solid premise. Not only would it explore how the Cylons were created by man, but how they eventually rebelled. It would explore the whole religion aspects of Galactica deeper, it was planet-bound, giving it a fresh new look, tone, and setting for this universe, it was going to bring many questions to the fold of what exactly is life...and it showed in that pilot some really interesting characters you wanted to explore. <br />
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Then after the pilot the first half of season 1 dragged its feet and muddled through some story-lines. It was a great setting, decent characters, but at first it sort of felt like it wasn't going anywhere as captivating as Galactica had been from start to finish (unlike like some generic sci-fi fans I've seen that were disappointed with the conclusion to that series, I loved it through and through). Then near the end of that Season 1.5, it found itself. I was beginning to see where it was going. It was never a bad show up until that point, but finally I was seeing plot-lines I wanted to stick with and see where they ended up. <br />
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The second half of the season was solid from its return to the small screen until its pretty damn fine conclusion. But the ratings weren't as good as Galactica's had been and the people running SyFy (NBC Universal) have not only been making shitty decisions on their broadcast network, but they changed the name of Sci-Fi Channel in order to get some non-existent new audience that wants to watch wrestling. So the less space adventure, more soap opera style slow moving Science Fiction Drama was not gonna stay around to long. Canceled. No second season. <br />
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And there's the rub. The threads weren't left dangling really, the major arc of the series was closed up in the finale. It was a solid end to a series that took too long to find its way (especially considering how it had been in development hell for a few years), and sadly the denouement gave you a hint of how the Cylons might rebel, how the fall of Caprica might come about, some other hints of possible story-lines to be explored "Next Season". But they will not come to fruition. It looked really captivating and interesting, to see where the series could have headed.<br />
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So I'm disappointed that a show I had really warmed up too is no more, especially when it was ripe for some fantastic future stories. <br />
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Beyond that I saw the new Green Hornet movie, which was entertaining enough as a comedy-action film, but having thought more and more on it, I think it really didn't live up to its potential at all. I've seen the first episode of the TV series, and I think it took itself a little more seriously, which the film should have done. Rogan maybe shouldn't have either written or been cast, and if he really wanted to play an action hero he should have gotten out of his comfort zone and done some real action. Then I went and watched this 10 minute short film from France, and everything about it was exactly what I thought the Green Hornet feature should have been. So now I think I am far more disappointed with the film than I was when I left the theater.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-1358639595767934492010-12-10T11:29:00.003-05:002013-05-28T16:38:20.619-04:00Chapter 92: An Open Letter to Will SmithDear Will Smith,<br />
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I'd like to begin by thanking you for the sitcom, "Independence Day", "Men in Black", and for bringing to light the simple fact that parents just don't understand. I like your work and I encourage you, specifically, to keep up the good work!<br />
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But, your Royal Freshness, what we need to talk about is your kids....something's gotta be done about your kids. I kept quiet about "In the Pursuit of Happyness" because I think you gave a damn fine performance, and having your dumb kid around probably pulled a little more out of your performance than it would have been with some stranger playing your son. So I let that one slide. Plus the kid wasn't all bad, and we all know how <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n70eJeXl894/UaUVddKzOUI/AAAAAAAACJU/ZJAeFi-CQXI/s800/jakelloyd.jpg">kid actors can turn out</a>. <br />
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But then comes this unnecessary "Karate Kid" remake. Now I need to bring up two things on this point: 1) I have yet to see the ORIGINAL "Karate Kid", so I've got no plans at all to see this new one. 2) From what I've seen of the trailer, you should have called this the "Kung Fu Child". Did Jackie Chan never mention to you guys that Karate and Kung Fu are different? He probably doesn't know but whatever. <br />
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But the problem isn't the crappy "Kung Fu Child" flick...it is about your daughter's terrible song. You, your wife, and your daughter should all pay some kind of fine for this travesty of "music". What the hell is she even babbling about...what the hell does "whipping your hair" even mean? Also you named your daughter Willow? Like after you? JESUS...although it still ain't as bad as my Grandma's ex husband, Merle, naming his daughter MERLINE. <br />
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See, my Fresh Majesty, your spoiling your kids. You are giving them everything they want...and that is a bad thing to do to kids, it leaves them with this false impression of the world, and they grow up kinda thinking that they <a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IpFdkvljEY4/UaUTY6w4CtI/AAAAAAAACIU/kS2JNakRkuo/s800/paris-hilton-mug-shot.jpg" target="_blank">DESERVE IT ALL</a>. And when your daughter says "Daddy can I make a CD?" or "<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w_d5TsPO7qw/UaUVdfZpPAI/AAAAAAAACJg/q_QrTKlrGL4/s800/hillary.jpg">Daddy can I have 500 dollars?</a>"...you say NO! <br />
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Now maybe I'm misinterpreting events here, maybe this is some kind of social experiment to prove your <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3PFC86UNI">hypothesis</a>, but I suspect that in all honesty...you have just become that parent that buys Zips...when their kid clearly asked for Adidas. <br />
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Signed, <br />
Kenneth J Scheck<br />
Your Loyal Fresh Servant<br />
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P.S. What happened to DJ Jazzy Jeff? Is he okay? When's you guys' next album drop? I've been waiting 15 years! Get on with it!Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8288965981928495832.post-30450194253255008442010-12-09T01:42:00.001-05:002010-12-13T21:05:13.528-05:00Chapter 91: Escape to DangerSo I haven't posted in the main blog for a bit...been busy. I got a full time job. It is nice to have money coming in, even if it is just a crappy factory job. That said it is nowhere near as crappy as the last factory job I had. I'm working Night Shift now, so I'm getting used to that. Luckily I still have a position at WVIZ...hopefully it will lead to something a little more regular in the future. But I'm gonna be working on sending out some cover letters this weekend. <br />
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If you care and haven't noticed, the Trek reviews are on hold for the time being...only so much Voyager a guy can watch before he hates himself for watching Voyager. Show really ain't so hot. The Doctor Who reviews have been uploaded up through Sarah Jane's latest (and best) season, which finished up a few weeks ago or something (I've no idea how long it has been). <br />
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Speaking of Doctor Who, I'm pretty stoked about the upcoming Christmas special, which looks really cinematic and awesome. I haven't been keeping an eye on the rumors or spoilers for the upcoming 2011 series, and I don't really plan on it, but I do think the few things I've heard make this next series pretty awesome. Torchwood is also coming back in 2011, and the plotlines behind that also sound pretty incredible. I'm pumped for new Who. <br />
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Anyhow, I'm pretty busy with this new job, so I don't know if and when I'll post next...someday for sure.Kenny Scheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533110313443809517noreply@blogger.com0