Rio Conchos

Rio Conchos is a 1964 Western starring Stuart Whitman, Richard Boone, Jim Brown, Edmund O'Brien and Tony Franciosa. The music is by the prolific Jerry Goldsmith. Director Gordon Douglas, who began his film career as a child actor, has directoral credits from 1934 to 1977. This is another fine Western. Why are there so many good Westerns I've never heard of? Sad. But discovering them is fun.

via youtube:

DVD Talk says, "Rio Conchos on the surface may look like a mid-sized studio Western with second-tier stars, but it's surprising hefty when it comes to mixing ideas and action." TCM has an overview. It has a 40% critics rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Truly Evil

Evil characters have always populated the literary world, but some stand out. My choice for a real stand-out, beyond the pale, truly evil character is Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series. A more cruel, self-righteous piece of work would be hard to name. She is humorless, delights in torturing others, is cowardly, and has no -and I really mean no- redeeming qualities.

She does drink tea, but we won't hold that against the tea, surely, any more than we'll hold her attraction to cats against the cats.

Here are video clips from some of her scenes, but you have to watch the movie The Order of the Phoenix and see her wickedness unfold through the film to appreciate the depth of her depravity:

Let's join Bleubeard and Elizabeth for tea and leave Umbridge out of our fellowship, shall we?

The photo at the top of the post is from the Harry Potter Wiki.

Tiptoe

Tiptoe:

by Devil Train, Memphis musicians.

Spring Comes to the Botanic Gardens

There was no sun and it was a bit breezy, but it was warm enough to venture forth in search of Spring! The Memphis Botanic Gardens provided hope that the season was headed for change. The daffodils above and the star magnolia below looked cheery.

The fish seem more active as the weather warms. It won't be long now they'll let us start feeding them again. It's too early for that still.

The Daughter and I had a nice afternoon wandering around the grounds. I always enjoy time spent at these gardens.

The Demon Tree

I had been wanting a picture of this tree for some time and finally had a chance to get one when The Daughter was with me in the car.

Bunker Palace Hotel

Bunker Palace Hotel is a 1989 French post-apocalyptic film directed by Enki Bilal, better known for his 2004 film Immortal. In movies, that is. Apparently he's really known as a graphic artist, but I'm not familiar with that field. This movie is not what you'd call "action-packed" but is definitely worth watching.

trailer:

Moria concludes, "What you could accuse Bunker Palace Hotel of being is a film with a fascinating background in which nothing interesting happens." Quiet Earth says "it makes for a wholly original viewing experience." FilmJournal.net says it is "never less than intriguing" and "Certainly worth tracking". Films de France opens with this: "This is a stunningly imaginative film with a strong vein or two of distinctly black comedy, offering a disturbingly credible vision of a future world." Rotten Tomatoes has no critic reviews, and the audience score is 50%.

One for the Money

One for the Money is the first in the Stephanie Plum mystery series by Janet Evanovich. Wikipedia describes them as "a light-hearted series of mysteries starring barely competent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum". This was fun, mindless entertainment, and I'll certainly read more from the series as I come across them. Since there are 21 so far and the author is still writing them, I'm set for reading material for some time to come.

from the back of the book:

ONE FINE MESS

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash-fast-but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family...

ONE FALSE MOVE

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. As does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water-wanted for murder...

ONE FOR THE MONEY

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight-and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man...

It's been adapted for film to negative reviews. I won't be looking for the movie.

Kirkus Reviews closes with this: "A smartly paced debut with an irresistible heroine who, despite trouble getting her man, will have readers hooked by page three. Trenton is about to become the comic mystery's most improbable hot spot."

Don't Come Knocking

Don't Come Knocking is a 2005 Wim Wenders film about a Western film actor who rides off on a horse from the movie set seeking some meaning for his life. He's followed by an agent of the company insuring the film. It stars Sam Shepard, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth and Eva Marie Saint. I'm glad I've seen it but won't watch it again. Male mid-life crisis, much angst... just not my thing, I guess.

via youtube:

Slant Magazine gives it 2 out of 4 stars, condemning it as "just another male menopause movie, marred by unlikely dialogue and hokey theatrical symbolism." DVD Talk describes it as "120 minutes of uneventful storytelling." Bright Lights Film Journal compares it unfavorably to Wenders' early films and says,

Wenders has a great visual eye, and the look of the film can't be overpraised: ... The clean, pristine images from cinematographer Frantz Lutzig of these settings are magnificent — but if only Wenders had trusted his visual strengths and dispensed with the redundant, wordier parts of his screenplay.

Spirituality and Practice says, "Don't Come Knocking has the quirky characters we've come to expect and relish in a movie directed by Wim Wenders." Roger Ebert concludes, ""Don't Come Knocking" finally doesn't work for me, because instead of embodying its themes it seems to be regarding them from outside, with awe, as if it is the high school production of itself." It was not popular with critics and has a critics score of 42% at Rotten Tomatoes.

Douglas Adams' Birthday

via Tsaiera Blog

I never (well, now I'll have to say, "almost never") observe the birthdays of people who have died. I prefer to observe the anniversary of the death for various reasons. Today, however, is both T(ea) Tuesday and Douglas Adams' birthday, so I thought I'd share this quote from the screenplay to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

“A cup of tea would restore my normality."

Yes! Yes, indeed! Sometimes a cup of tea is all that's needed to restore normality, and sometimes normality really needs to be restored.

Douglas Adams' books are great fun, and I highly recommend them if you like science fiction with a bit of humor. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is his best-known and most readily available work. You can order it from a Memphis bookstore here.

Please join T(ea) Tuesday with Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

The Abyss

The Abyss:

by Alex da Ponte, Memphis musician.

Lyrics:

Woke up earlier than I should
I would get up if I only could
But something heavy is weighing me down

Wrote a letter that you’ll never see
I guess I really wrote it for me
‘Cause the abyss is calling me

You said it wouldn’t take too long
But I think now that you were wrong
I’ve had enough time to write you a sad sad song

Will I be happy or is this it?
Or have I had all I’m gonna get?
You said I’d be fine, I guess you don’t know shit

Can you feel me?
Can you feel me?
Am I still here

You’re like a werewolf after the change
I’m screaming please just remember your name
Look in my eyes and see I’m the same

I’m in this tunnel and I can’t see
There’s no light at the end for me
The abyss is calling me

Can you feel me?
Can you feel me?
Am I still here

Picnic At Hanging Rock

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 1975 Peter Weir film based on a book supposedly based on a true story -but not actually based on a true story. It's fascinating, a mystery without a solution with an eerie feel and a definite sexual subtext. I had seen this one several times (The Boys here don't like it at all), but this time I watched it with The Daughter. She liked it, and we enjoyed talking about possible solutions. What really happened?

trailer:

Moria calls it "an incredible and haunting film" and "a film that resonates with a sense of enigma that continues to work the mind long after many of its individual details have faded in memory" and says, "The combination of haunting unsolved mystery and broodingly sinister symbolism creates an atmosphere that is spellbinding." DVD Talk calls it "unnervingly mysterious" and "unique" and "a disturbing but unforgettable viewing experience" and closes their review with this:

Beyond setting up the mystery of Hanging Rock, Weir's film also works as a finely observed, and at times heartbreaking, period drama. Uniformly excellent acting and characterization expertly communicate the inevitable sense of sadness and tragedy that pervades this film on a number of different levels. Top-notch cinematography, art direction and costume design work serve to complete the compelling picture found here.

Empire Online gives it 5 out of 5 stars and calls it "A fascinating film that is by turns fascinating and mysterious." It's on Roger Ebert's list of Great Movies, and he calls it "a film of haunting mystery and buried sexual hysteria." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 91%.

The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes is a 1948 Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger film. The ballet in the film is called The Red Shoes and is based on the Hans Christian Andersen story by that name. I've seen it several times, but this time I watched it with The Daughter who had never seen it before. I'm happy to say she liked it; I was hoping she would.

That makes the 3rd ballet-based movie I've seen lately: The Black Swan and Etoile are the others.

trailer:

Senses of Cinema says,

The Red Shoes was a landmark dance film because it was the first film to transcend dance’s theatricality and move into “pure cinema”. As a mise-en-abyme, the film’s structure and production provided a concrete example of how films about dance productions could be interpreted more evocatively.

Slant Magazine opens its review by saying,

To paraphrase Macbeth, the cinema hath bubbles—a select few works of art so rare in their beauty, delicacy, and refinement that you fear they will vanish in front of your eyes before your retinas have fully gorged themselves on the visual splendor before you. The Red Shoes is one such film.

It's #5 on the Time Out list of 100 best British films. DVD Talk says, "If The Red Shoes is The Archers' (Powell/Pressburger) most popular film, it is because it has inspired an audience beyond the fans of creative cinema." Roger Ebert has it on his list of great movies and says, "The film is voluptuous in its beauty and passionate in its storytelling. You don't watch it, you bathe in it". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 98%. It's listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

The Bitch

La Chienne (The Bitch) is a 1931 French film, the second sound film directed by Jean Renoir. Poor Maurice is an unhappily married cashier who is an amateur painter. He meets Lulu by accident. Not realizing she's a prostitute, he falls in love with her. She and her pimp milk Maurice for everything. It doesn't end well for anybody.

Fritz Lang remade it as Scarlet Street with Edward G. Robinson.

via youtube:

TimeOut calls it "Wonderfully moving, with great performances." Films de France calls it "authentic and emotionally involving" and says, "it represents something of a landmark in cinema." FilmRef.com says, "Jean Renoir creates an incisive, provocative, and excoriating commentary on human behavior, class structure, and social conduct". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 100%.

Redshirts

John Scalzi has become one of my go-to authors for enjoyable reading. The Husband bought me Redshirts for Christmas, and it was great fun. Being a Star Trek fan from way back (which was a bit hard with my mother making sure I could never watch Kirk and Company on TV because she disapproved of science fiction), I loved the connection with that series. I would think it would help you appreciate the fun more if you're familiar with the Star Trek meme the red shirt:

but it's certainly not necessary. There's plenty here to consider if you are of a more philosophical bent.

The book won the 2013 Hugo Award for best novel. You can read the first 5 chapters here.

from the back of the book:

THEY WERE EXPENDABLE...

UNTIL THEY STARTED COMPARING NOTES

Ensign Andrew Dahl had just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn’t be better...until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy belowdecks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is...and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

The review at The British Science Fiction Association closes with this: "Once again John Scalzi has written a novel that surprises and entertains but that also sticks with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Well recommended in my humble opinion." Wired calls it "a brilliantly funny book with an unexpected amount of emotional heft". io9 says, "It's one part Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, one part "Below Decks," and one part geeky nitpicking about the bad science in science fiction television. With a dash of Cabin in the Woods." SFReviews.net concludes,

SF might not be the genre you think of when it comes to "you'll laugh, you'll cry" entertainment. But if we must have stories like that, I'm happy to have John Scalzi be the guy writing them. Just as long as he remembers to throw in a few ice sharks and Borgovian Land Worms.

SF Signal gives it 4 out of 5 stars and says the book "accomplishes exactly what it was intended to do: entertain the science fiction fan. In that respect, the book wildly succeeds". Kirkus Reviews does not like it at all and says, "It's all vaguely amusing in a sophomoric sort of way, which is fine if you're an easily diverted sophomore with a couple of hours to kill." SFSite.com says, "Not only does Redshirts work as a novel, but Scalzi is able to make the characters come alive." Forbes closes its review with this:

You don’t have to be a hardcore sci-fi fan to enjoy Redshirts, though there are plenty of Easter Eggs for those who are. And the beauty of the book is that it works on multiple levels. If you’re looking for a breezy, fun read for the beach, this is your book. If you want to go down a level and read it as a surreal meditation on character and genre like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, this is your book. If you’re looking for a deeper interplay about the intersections between story and our lives, well, this is your book, too. Suffice to say, I highly recommend it.

Django, Prepare a Coffin

Django, Prepare a Coffin is another in a long line of films connected only by the inclusion of the name "Django" in the title. Not an official sequel, this one is from 1968 and stars Terrence Hill as Django. The plot involves the title character being betrayed by a friend. The resulting death of Django's wife sets Django on the road to a vengeance which brings to life the saying that "revenge is a dish best served cold." I enjoy spaghetti westerns, and this is a good one.

via youtube:

This review at Spaghetti-Western.net praises Hill in the lead and says,

The film itself is probably the closest to a genuine Django sequel or prequel that was ever made but, in truth, has sufficient continuity holes in relation to the original to ensure it can never really be taken completely as such. It does have a Django ‘feel’ to it though and has the machine gun and coffin scene to cement its claim. Like the original it also boasts two villains and the twin talents of George Eastman and Horst Frank are a happy bonus indeed. Eastman exuding malice as the swaggering outlaw boss while Frank maintains the usual level of malevolent arrogance that made him such an icon of European westerns.

Another review at Spaghetti-Western.net says, "A lot of stalwart spaghetti western actors have cameos, turning the movie into a real plethora of familiar faces. The score ... is a special one." 10kBullets says it is "not only one of the finest and most faithful takes on the “Django” mythos ever released, but one of the most enjoyable Spaghetti Westerns to mix the crazy and the cool into one fantastically successful package."

Tear-Water Tea

I remember how much The Kids and I loved the Arnold Lobel books. I used to read his books aloud when The Kids were little, and I'm an expressive reader if I do say so myself. The story Tear-Water Tea came to mind for a couple of reasons: 1) It's in the book Owl at Home, and we have owls on the brain around here lately; and 2) Tea, of course!

The story Tearwater Tea has Owl crying into a teapot, shedding tears over all the sadnesses in his life. Then he heats the tears and makes tea: "It tastes a little bit salty," he said, "but tear-water tea is always good." It's a delightfully comforting story.

Pull up a cozy seat and a cup of something hot to drink, and hear the story for yourself, narrated by a "Missy Tingles":

"Songs that cannot be sung," said Owl, "because the words have been forgotten." It brings a tear to my eye even now.

Join the rest of the T(ea) Tuesday bunch over at hosts Bleubeard and Elizabeth's weekly blog gathering, where the Mardi Gras beads are looking festive.

(I saw the picture at the top of the post at several different websites but don't remember which one I got it from.)

Conversion by blog comment?

To the guy who keeps commenting on my posts to tell me I am doomed and headed for Hell:

You know your comments go straight to my spam filter, right? 

I only see them when I check the spam filter to see if a real comment has been trapped there by mistake. 

This is not a way to win converts to your particular brand of Christianity. 

Just sayin'.

Anyone Can Do It

Anyone Can Do It:



by John Paul Keith and The One Four Fives, Memphis musicians.

lyric excerpt:

Well, if you want to be a hero
Not a rock and roll zero
Even you can have a hit sound
If you let 'em find you face down
Yeah there's really nothin' to it
Anyone can do it.

50 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time

Paste Magazine has a list of the 50 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time:

1. Annie Hall
2. When Harry Met Sally
3. Amélie
4. The Princess Bride
5. Manhattan
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
7. Say Anything
8. The Philadelphia Story
9. High Fidelity
10. Four Weddings and a Funeral
11. The Apartment
12. Moonrise Kingdom
13. Harold and Maude
14. Sixteen Candles
15. Pretty Woman
16. Love Actually (on the shelf, not yet watched)
17. The Shop Around the Corner
18. Knocked Up
19. Bridget Jones’s Diary
20. Chasing Amy
21. The Graduate
22. His Girl Friday
23. (500) Days of Summer
24. Bringing Up Baby
25. Silver Linings Playbook
26. The Purple Rose of Cairo
27. Juno
28. Sleepless in Seattle (on the shelf, unwatched)
29. Waitress
30. The Wedding Banquet
31. Wall-E
32. The African Queen
33. Jerry Maguire
34. Groundhog Day
35. Pretty in Pink
36. Punch-Drunk Love
37. As Good as It Gets
38. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
39. It Happened One Night
40. About a Boy
41. Lars and the Real Girl
42. Notting Hill
43. The Lady Eve
44. 10 Things I Hate About You
45. Roxanne
46. You’ve Got Mail (it's on the shelf, just not watched yet)
47. Hitch
48. Clueless
49. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
50. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

I've seen the 18 in bold print. I don't tend to like "romantic comedies". Typically, they're too sweet/sappy for me, and I prefer the quirkier ones.

Flying Fish

The Daughter and I recently had lunch at the Flying Fish restaurant downtown. It's part of a small Southern chain with other locations in Arkansas and Texas. You order at the counter and then pick your food up when they buzz you. We each had the 2 filet fish basket and lemonade. It was very good. You can see their menu here. We sat at the counter looking out on the street. It's open-air, and it was a beautiful day:

They provide a service, too, in offering a home for unwanted Billy Bass plaques:

Yelp gives them 4 out of 5 stars with 104 reviews. Urban Spoon has a rating of 94% with 553 votes. The I Love Memphis blog likes it. East Memphis Moms gives it a positive review as does Memphis Gastroblog.