Life in the Mind of a Modest Genius

Brainstorm

Netflix has a little feature where you they make suggestions for you.  It's based off the movies that you have rated already.  Not sure how they exactly calculate it.  Sometimes it can be something as insignificant as the movie has the same actor as one that was in a movie you rated.  Other times, it looks like it's just flicks from the same genre.  Whatever the case may be, their synopsis of their suggested movie doesn't always do the movie justice.  That was certainly the case with "Brainstorm".

Research scientist Michael Brace (Christopher Walken) has been experimenting with a revolutionary brain-reading device.  The incredible machine has the ability to read a person's thought processes and translate them to videotape.  When Brace wants to study the brainwave of his late partner Louise Fletcher (Lilian Reynolds), he finds himself seriously at odds with his superiors.  Not to mention the government who had their intentions for his invention.

With this being done in 1983, this was one of Walken's early films.  Clearly done before he became the iconic  figure that we know him to be now.  Strangely enough, he didn't look a whole lot different back then.  It's just that his acting abilities had not yet evolved.  He was easily one of the better players in "Brainstorm", but there were still a few spots where it was unbearable to watch him struggle with what was obviously a convoluted script.

Was the acting really THAT bad in the movies of the 80s?  I watched so many comedies back then that I guess I never really noticed.  Folks can get away with inferior acting in a comedy because the humor of the film can often cover man deficiencies.  Very similar to how CGI effects can help poorly written sci-fi movies of today.  However, when I look at a movie like "Brainstorm" that didn't have the benefit of being a comedy or the CGI that hadn't yet been discovered, it is rough trying to get thru it.

This was the first Natalie Wood film that I had ever seen.  It just so happened to be the last one she ever made too.  It was rather ironic that Walken's friend and partner dies in the film and Wood happened to die during the filming of this film.  While Walken was also present.  They ended up having to pull a Brandon Lee in the "The Crow" move because Wood died while the movie was still being filmed.  Instead of the pulling the project altogether, they completed it using stand-ins where necessary and access footage. 

The scene where the Fletcher character dies ends up being the most essential to the movie for a few different reasons.  First of all, if it wasn't for her dying, Brace probably wouldn't have found himself at odds with his superiors and been able to discover the government's true plans for the project. 

Secondly, it shows some serious dedication on her part.  As she's having a heart attack, she decides to record the event with the machine so someone else can experience the same sensation by later playing back the tape.  I don't know about you, but if I'm dying from a heart attack, continuing with job-related activities would be last on my list of priorities. 

Lastly and most important of all, it just so happens that Reynolds was one of the worst actors in the movie.  Maybe that's the reason why Walken and Wood's performance wasn't as good as it could have been because they had her dragging them down also.  It probably would have helped the movie if they had killed the character off sooner so we didn't have to suffer thru more of Reynold's acting throughout the rest of "Brainstorm".

The moral of the story is don't always trust Netflix's suggestions.  This it the first one that I have gotten where no one else I know has seen the movie so I was going off no other opinion.  That fatal decision led me to spend 106 minutes hoping that there would be something salvageable to no avail.  It's too bad this is the last film Wood had to be known for.  I certainly hope her earlier work was better.

My rating:  D+

WTH??

I usually don't get around to checking my Facebook that often on a Saturday.  Especially on one like today where  I'm ripping and running trying to get things done.  With that being the case, I definitely didn't expect to catch the news of the latest celebrity passing on that medium.  But it is what it is and it doesn't change the fact that one of the greatest fighters of our time is now gone.

Former junior welterweight champion  Arturo Gatti was found dead in a hotel room in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas early Saturday.  He was 37-years-old.

The name may not ring a bell (no pun intended) with casual sporting fans.  It's not like he was a common name in boxing like a Tyson or even a Floyd Mayweather, Jr. However, to the folks that enjoyed watching some good, old-fashioned boxing, Gatti's name is one of the first to come to mind.  That's thanks primarily to his epic trilogy with his nemesis Mickey Ward.

I first caught wind of their fight when it came on HBO.  Honestly, I had never heard of either one, but just felt like watching some boxing since I hadn't seen any in a while.  Mainly because the commentators had been talking it up so much, it sounded like it would be a decent match.  Was it ever.  Those two went at each other non-stop from the sound of the opening bell.  It wasn't that they hated each other, it's just that their two styles was just to be aggressive from beginning to end.  There was never a dull moment.  None of that dancing around and hugging.  These were two boxers who weren't afraid leave everything in the ring.  It was like that each of the three times they fought.  Something that is very rare in the boxing world today.

I didn't realize that Gatti also fought Mayweather back in 2005 and lost.  That was before I was hip to who he was.  Thanks to his showdowns with Ward, I did remember his name from then on out.  It's a shame that other folks may not know his name due to this tragedy. 

Rest in peace, Gatti.

Mr. Bungles

There were a couple of REAL good candidates for this week.  During a lesser week, they would both take the title as co-recipients.  However, given the controversy that has followed the latter, the first one I am mentioning lucked up and got runner-up instead.  So congratulations to 17-year-old cheerleader Chelsea Steele for earning her one way ticket to the lake of fire!

It seems Chelsea was looking for some quick money and a good time so she did the unthinkable.  No...not what you would normally think is associated with "quick money and a good time".  Last Friday, she and three friends stole $147 from some kids, one of them was in a wheelchair, who were selling T-shirts and hats for a fundraiser at a neighborhood pool. After feigning interest in the items and making small talk, Chelsea snagged the money, hopped in a car and sped off.

Now let's dissect this real quick like.  Let's look past the most obvious fact that she was stealing.  How about the fact that she took money FROM A KID IN A WHEELCHAIR!  I've done some a few despicable things in my life, but NEVER in a million years did taking ANYTHING from a handicapped person EVER cross my mind.  Heck..I won't even park in handicapped parking (although the $100 ticket for doing so is already a pretty good deterrent).  What could have possibly been going thru her head to think that that was okay??

Then there is the fact that she wasn't alone in this caper.  She jumped in a car filled with three other friends and sped off.  So apparently at least three other girls were in on it and cosigned the crime.  Fortunately  for them, none of their names have been released.  Yet.  It doesn't matter though.  If they also thought that what Chelsea did was fine and appropriate, then they too will be joining her on her journey to the lake.

The far and away winner though is the Valley Swim Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania.  If you haven't heard the story by now, the folks at the Swim Club showed that racism is still alive and kicking.  Blatant racism too.  They accomplished that by not allowing a group of "diverse" children from a local day care to swim in their pool.

Now when I first heard of the story, I have to be honest and say that a common stereotype came to mind.  Especially when I saw the picture of all the children.  I thought that maybe the boushee folks at the swim club were a little intimidated because all these darker-skinneded children came to the pool and started acting a fool.  That wasn't the case at all.  The pool staff even stated that all of the children of the Creative Steps Day Care were well-behaved.  So with their behavior clearly  not an issue, there was only one thing left, right?

 Well not according to the swim club.  They claim that they revoked the day care's privileges and returned their check because they underestimated the capacity of their facilities and realized they couldn't accommodate the number of children.  One small problem with that:  What facility do you know would ever allow a group to come into their location without knowing in advance how many are going to be in the group?  That's how many places base their fees is according to the number.  I'm willing to bet they knew full well how many shorties were coming. 

What it comes down to is the rich folks didn't want to be sharing their private, members-only pool with a bunch of kids with some natural tans.  I'm guessing there may have already been at least one or two families of color that were members at this club.  You know...because they didn't want to seem ENTIRELY racist.  They had to have a couple of token members.  But when the group showed up with a lot more than the members bargained for, they weren't having it.

The stepfather of one of the children has already filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.  That's a start, but I'm sure lawsuits are soon to follow if they haven't already.  What needs to happen is this segregated Valley Swim Club joint needs to be shut down.  I take that back...sue them first and take them for all their worth.  THEN make sure they get shut down.  If they think their water is too good to share with everybody then see how they like it if they can't use it at all

Things to Be Grateful For

The Cup

I could probably incorporate a few different things to be grateful for in just this one post, but they would all still lead to the Cup.  It sits at my desk at work and has become part of my daily routine.  It was even the talk of the office for a while.  Some folks didn't believe that I consumed that much water until they saw it in action.  They're all believers now.

Although my office is West Des Moines, it is not plagued by the same nasty water that the normal West Des Moines water supply emits.  They have a filtered water dispenser that provides clean cold (or hot, if you desire) water in the breakroom.  Right next to that there is a large ice dispenser to make it even colder.  It tastes just as good as any bottled water you could buy in the store.

It used to be that I would use a standard 16-ounce thermos-looking cup for my daily water intake.  Every morning I would make the trek (albeit a short one) to the breakroom and fill it up with ice and water.  I tried to ration it so that it wouldn't get consumed too quickly and I would have to be up again to make another trip down the hall.  After a while, I decided that getting a larger cup would be a wise investment.

Then one day I'm in Quik Trip waiting on G to get a snack when I pass by their collection of oversized mugs.  This 52-ounce behemoth was the biggest they had.  It was perfect.  I could fill it up and be set for the day.  I grabbed that without hesitation.  It was a steal for only $4.99.  That would have included the price of a fountain beverage if I wanted to fill it up there, but I didn't. 

I started out just filling it up in the morning and it would last me the entire day.  That was back when the weather was colder though.  As Spring and Summer came along, I find myself making two trips to the breakroom with the Cup.  By the time lunchtime has arrived, I've already finished a full 52-ounces.  There have even been a couple of occasions where I didn't even make it to lunch before I had to refill.

The only drawback to consuming that much water is the inevitable consequences.  It does require frequent trips to the restroom.  That's where the benefit of my seating location comes in.  My desk is not that far from one of the two exits so it doesn't take that long for me to make that round trip.  It's a small price to pay for getting my daily water intake and being able to stay cooled down in the process.

Thursday Throwback

Tainted Love - Soft Cell

Hands down the best pop song to ever come out of the 80s.  I don't think I ever remember seeing a video for it.  Just hearing the song on the radio was enough.  One of the few 80s pop hits that never got old no matter how many times it was played...

Soft Cell-Tainted Love
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Push

No more worrying about having to get to the video store on New Release Tuesday before everyone else does to make sure what I want is in stock.  Or Redbox either for that matter.  Now I can just put the movie in my queue before its released.  Time it just right and movie it to that #1 spot just as they receive my previous movies on Tuesday.  I've got it down to a science now and "Push" was the first example of that.

Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is a "mover", a second-generation telekinetic, who went into hiding after a shadowy government operation known as the Division killed his father more than a decade earlier.  He lives a life of relative anonymity in Hong Kong until 13-year-old "watcher" Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) enters his life.  She's a clairvoyant who needs his help in tracking down the most powerful kind of psychic called a "pusher".  Pusher Kira (Camilla Belle), who may hold the key to bringing down the Division once and for all.

Fresh off the success of "Jumper", you knew another movie about super powers geared toward the teenage crowd wasn't going to be far behind.  Okay...it wasn't really THAT fresh since "Jumper" was released in 2008.  Still, that's all "Push" really is with several "X-Men" variations thrown in.  And some of them blatant rip-offs of the franchise.  They just cleverly give their mutants generic titles instead of catchy superhero names.

That's why I can't figure out why Chris Evans would take the role.  After two "Fantastic Four" films, he is already commonly known as the Human torch.  So instead of trying to get another role to avoid being typecast, he goes the mutant power route again?  I guess money talks.  Can't really fault him for that.

This is the second film I've seen now in just a matter of days where they force a romantic storyline.  Kira goes from shooting at Nate to wanting to make out with him not even 30 minutes (in movie time) later?  Nothing at all to indicate they should become attracted to one another.  Other than the fact that the filmmakers just wanted these two beautiful people to hook up.

It took me a minute to realize that was Fanning playing Cassie.  It had been a while since I had seen her in anything after she started entering her awkward years.  I guess she couldn't stay a kid forever.  They made sure to make us aware of that with this film.  Apparently the rape scene in "Hounddog" wasn't enough for Hollywood to prove how mature she can be.  Now they have her getting drunk in this one.  I'm sure Dakota won't grow up having any type of trauma.

"Push" just had too many similarities to too many other films to differentiate it enough.  Most of the plot is basically just a "Jumper" rehash.  The Djimon Hounsou character is nothing more than Samuel Jackson's "Jumper" villain. The finale was stolen from the " X-Men: The Last Stand" with one mutant being the most powerful telepath and a lesser mutant is trying to manipulate her.  This must have been another movie being worked on during the writer's strike so they just borrowed from scripts from other films.

On the other hand, it was the super powers that was the one redeeming quality in this film.  Sure, we've seen them all before, but their efforts to put twists on theirs is interesting.  Such as the pushers' eyes turning entirely black (including the white part) when they start pushing.  Or the movers eliciting CGI shields when they evoke certain elements of their power.  Although none of it was nearly enough to change the fact there was very little originality at all.

It was clear they were trying to do something a little different with this movie to set it apart from your standard superhero movie.  They attempted to make it somewhat of a dramatic thriller.  It's something that many superhero films touch to some extent, but intentionally don't try hard to be.  There's always a bit of tongue-in-cheek to them.  The problem is "Push" does not have writing intelligent enough to accomplish the thriller route.  It certainly didn't stop them from still going for it though.  And for failing miserably.

My rating:  C -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARIAH!

This day had been coming for years and it's finally upon all of us.  Namely me.  Things have just gone to the next level with my oldest "child".  As of today, Mariah finally turns 18.  It's rather difficult to not refer to her as my "child" anymore when today is the day she is officially a legal adult.  Nor more child.

I still get people telling me to this day that I don't look old enough to have a daughter that age.  Of course, it's only those people who haven't known me that long.  Still, I don't feel old enough to have a daughter that age.  And the older she gets, the older it makes me feel.  That's all part of the aging process though.

To be fair, Mariah has technically been an adult since she and Elijah moved to Texas last year with their mother.  State law there mandates that a person becomes an adult at age 17.  Still not sure what inspired them to come up with that law.  But then again, this is Texas we're talking about.

Her becoming an adult had me reflecting on all the many memories of her as a child.  Things that span the entire 18 years.  Like going back as early as when she was first born.  Over three months premature in 1991.  Who would have thought that a baby weighing just barely over 2 pounds would grow up to be so healthy?  It certainly wasn't an easy road starting out, but thanks to the grace of God she made grew stronger and is still with us today because of it.

I think about things like how so much has changed since the day she was born.  Look at how big her family has gotten since then.  She was the first and only grandchild at the time she was born.  She is now joined by seven others.  At least for now.  I certainly hope with as old as me and my sisters are that everyone's done.  I know I am. 

Now things are going to start even drastically more to add even more to her history. Or maybe this has more to do with her future.  I just received confirmation that she will be coming to live with us starting next week.  I believe "anxious" is a pretty accurate description to explain the feeling.  Mariah hasn't lived with me since she was 4-years-old and a lot has changed with her and I since then.  This should be quite an interesting experience.

The Michael Jackson Memorial Randomness

Apparently the schedule your dvr from your computer option doesn't work for jack.  Thought I was set when I scheduled it to start recording the service at the cemetery.  Turns out it didn't take and I missed all of the arrival and departure.  At least I got home from lunch in time to set it manually and still catch the service.

All of the pallbearers (all his brothers) wearing one white sequinned glove was VERY tight.  And if you noticed, they combined the standard pallbearer type glove with the sequins to get the best of both worlds.  Got me to thinking though...I wonder where Mike even came up with that idea to wear one white glove?  

Mariah's version of "I'll Be There" was making me get chills.  Maybe its partly from listening to her get choked up as she tries to get thru it.  I think what it really is is the fact that they just got done wheeling his casket out.  The fact that you're sitting there thinking how final it is.  He is in there and he's not coming back ever.

Glad they ultimately decided to have his body at the Staples Center.  It does provide more closure.  It wouldn't have seemed right if it wasn't. 

Still curious as to why they had it during the middle of the day of the work week.  Most of us that wanted to see it are at work.  They couldn't have pushed it just a few hours later so we could have at least seen most of it live?  

I would love to get one of those commemorative programs that coincided with the service.  I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they're up on eBay.  If they aren't already.  Not trying to pay the crackhead price that I'm sure folks will be selling them for.

I wish Maya Angelou would have been there to read that poem herself.  No one does her words justice like she does.  That voice of hers adds to the beauty of every poem she writes.  Valiant effort of Latifah's part in Maya's absence though

Love LOVE that Commodores song "Jesus Is Love".  One of their most underappreciated songs ever. 

Has Berry Gordy developed a lisp over the years or did he always have one and never noticed?  He had a point with that song "Who's Loving You?" though.  Mike definitely sang it better than Smokey and was only half Smokey's age.  Mike had a knack for doing that though.  Even when people remake his songs, they never sound as good as MJ's orginal.

Kobe should NOT have been a headliner.  They should have gotten the real Michael Jordan instead of the Jordan wannabe.  It would have been much better to hear him.  Plus, Jordan already had that connection with MJ from their classic "Jam" video. 

It's a good thing they had Magic up there to speak right after Kobe since Magic was much more engaging and more importantly, more likable.  Kobe could have really sat down after he said his unnecessary piece.

Probably one of better sermonettes I've ever heard Rev. Sharpton give.  He provided my favorite quote of the entire service as he directed it towards MJ's shorties:

 "Wasn't nothing strange about yo' daddy.  What was strange was what he had to deal with"   

John Mayer's instrumental version of "Human Nature" was on point.  I was interested to hear what he would have sounded like singing it though.  His subdued voice would have been a good fit for that joint.  Although no matter how good it was or how good that instrumental was, again, nothing compares to the original

Favorite performance:  Usher's rendition of "Gone Too Soon".  Hands down.  At first I was put back by him wearing shades too, but it was obvious he was trying to hold back the tears.  His was one that seemed genuine with his expression of emotion at the end.  When he went down and touched the casket?!  Got a brotha choked up a bit.

Could have done without the back-up singers singing "We Are the World".  That should have been done by the stars that were there in attendance.  At the very least, Mike's part should have been done by one of the professionals.

Those kids don't look nothing like Mike. At. All.  Not one iota.  Like he didn't contribute a single inkling of DNA to them.  I don't know if the rumors are true, but I'm just sayin'.  However, I doubt there was a dry eye in the house after hearing his daughter, Paris, speak.

Overall, a very VERY impressive memorial.  I hope the good folks at BET were watching and taking notes.  THAT was the type of memorial that a star of MJ's caliber deserved. 

One to Add to Your Collection - "Forrest Gump"

So far, the movies that I have seen which focus on the span of a character's life have all been nothing short of amazing.  I'm not talking about biopics.  Although many of those can be good also if the person who is the topic of the film intrigues me.  The ones I mean are those where the film follows a fictional character from early on in life and takes us thru all their different experiences.  "Forrest Gump" is one such film.

The reason why these type of movies tend to thoroughly entertain me is when done properly, they run the gamut of emotions.  As they course the years of this person's life, we get to see all the trials and hardships they epxerience.  Such as the awkward years that produce infinite laughter.  With "Forest" its the young Forrest and the leg braces.  While there's nothing funny about the braces themselves, they find a way to make it humorous.  Such as one of the most famous lines from the movie:

From that point on...whenever I was was going somewhere...I WAS RUNNING!

The southern accent which Tom Hanks gives the character narrating it and the visual of this gangly boy running out of his leg braces is enough to make anyone laugh. Or at the very least smile.  Ever since seeing the flick, whenever I think of someone running for nearly any reason, that line keeps running (no pun intended) thru my head.  Complete with the same accent and all.

The reason why "Forest Gump" remains such a sensation is because that same awkwardness we see with Forest during his childhood years remains with him all throughout life.  He's comfortable talking with anybody and everybody about anything and everything because he doesn't know what it means to not be sociable.  His mother (played beautifully by Sally Fields) tries to keep him as innocent as possible for as long as possible.  That causes him to say and do things that most of us would either think twice about or not even do at all.

What works the best is the several interactions they cause Forrest to have with famous historical figures.  The way they seamlessly insert him in actual historical footage so you think.  You would think he really did give the book to one of the sistas who was the first to integrate the University of Alabama.  Or that he really not so accidentally moon the President when trying to show him a his Vietnam wound.

But I think what causes Forrest to resonate so well with several different walks of life is because Hanks made Forrest so personable.  There's something about Forrest's simplistic nature that can put everyone at ease.  He leads us to believe that any obstacle can be overcome if you just don't over-think the problem and have faith. 

Hanks had quite the run in the early 90s.  For a few years, he was putting out hits like it was nobody's business.  Picking a favorite Hanks film would be no easy feat and several of them could easily be Vault Picks.  However, this one just sticks with me the most.  Hanks never stepped more out of his comfort zone than with greater success than he did with this one. 

 

Public Enemies

The movie poster showed a smirking Johnny Depp head to toe in 1930s garb so I wasn't the least bit jaded about what I was getting into.  Although for a brief minute, I was hoping it was somehow a movie that dealt with the greatest hip-hop group of all-time.  Maybe a documentary on their rise to stardom, how they had dealt with various controversies over the years and Flav's eventual descent into reality show humiliation.  But in lieu of that, a gangster flick about a notorious bank robber was just as good.

"Public Enemies" is the historical crime drama which follows the efforts of top FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) in capturing the infamous John Dillinger (Johnny Depp).  Dillinger became somewhat of a folk hero during the 1930s thanks to his penchant for robbing the banks that many people believed responsible for the Great Depression.  He became virtually unstoppable at the height of his criminal career since no jail could hold him and his exploits endeared him with the common people as he made headlines nationwide.

J. Edgar Hoover's (Billy Crudup) Federal Bureau of Investigations was just coming into formation.  There was no better way for the ambitious lawman to transform the fledgling FBI into a national force than to capture Dillinger and his gang.  Determined to bring Dillinger and his crew consisting of the sociopathic  Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi) to justice, Hoover christens Dillinger the country's very first Public Enemy Number One.  As a result, Purvis is unleashed to take them down by whatever means necessary.

The whole bankrobbing as an occupation concept is something that I will never understand.  What is the point of getting money that way when you can't enjoy it?  Maybe Dillinger was addicted to the limelight and that attention is what he craved more than money.  Yet he was a victim of his own success because the more banks he hit, the more wanted he became.  At that point, all that stolen money pretty much becomes useless.

They made sure to point out to us that Dillinger was smarter than Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum), who we see gunned down in the beginning of the film.  That was why Dillinger was supposed to be so good at what he did because of how clever he was.  Yet Dillinger is consistently doing things that seemed pretty stupid for one that should have been trying to avoid the law:

• Dillinger and his gang are in a movie theater talking all loud amongst each other about how they're going to bust someone out jail
• He's calling his girl, right after escaping jail, and announcing his plans on the telephone as if it never dawns on him that her phone may be tapped
• He knows his face is all over the papers and even news reels played before movies yet he does little to alter his physical appearance

It just seems like for someone that was supposed to be so intelligent, Dillinger sure was pretty careless.

I don't profess to be a cinematography expert, but the lighting throughout much of "Public Enemies" was annoying me.  It was shot too dark in far too many scenes.  That wasn't the only visual problem the movie had though.  The camera was inexplicably shaky far too often.  I thought for a minute that this was made by a first-time director it was so bad.  Nope.  It was a Michael Mann product and someone of his caliber definitely should have known better.

What was one of the more disappointing facets of the film was the lack of the conflict between Dillinger and Purvis.  For them to be so-called nemeses, there was little time that they spent antagonizing one another.  I was expecting more of a "Fugitive" type tension between the two.  Maybe if Mann wasn't so busy trying to tell several different stories with one movie, he could have done that.

There just seemed to be something missing from "Public Enemies".  Even with as engaging as Depp was as Dillinger, he didn't seem fully attached to the role.  Maybe the lighting and the camera direction was throwing him off as well.  The action did make it entertaining to watch, but the entire thing still fell a little flat with several minor deficiencies detracting from its potential.

My rating:  B -