It's Been Too Long, But I Cannot Stay

Although I haven't posted anything in several months (and some could argue I haven't posted anything of significance in several years) I really just stopped by to say goodbye to 2018. I don't have much to discuss. The holiday season has been fine. We're hosting some friends for New Year's Eve, which I normally look forward to, but this time it is coming on the heels of spending the afternoon at Six Flags yesterday and my body aches from miles of walking, carrying Sawyer from ride to ride, and getting knocked around on the roller coasters.

It was a Six Flags trip of note because I rode the Batman ride for the first time and Sawyer, my youngest child who turns 5 in two weeks, rode his first ever big roller coaster (illegally). Although he is still a few inches below the allowable line for the Judge Roy Scream, I was able to sneak him on without any questions from the staff and he loved almost every minute of it. That first downslope of the ride had him a little nervous, but once the coaster got in the groove of going up and down he had a blast. Another first was for Jack, who rode the Shockwave for the first time. In fact, he got to ride it two times in a row since I rode with him once and then Joanna swapped in while I stayed with Sawyer.

2018 was a pretty good year with some highs and lows. We saw two new baseball stadiums during our summer trip (Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles). Sawyer broke his leg and was in a cast for six weeks. I moved to a new department at work and am enjoying the stress of learning a different role.

Hopefully once work slows down a bit I will try to post some more. Here is to a happy New Year. Enjoy 2019!

PIXAR Rankings (minus 'Coco')

After seeing Incredibles 2 a few weeks ago I realized I haven't properly sat down and ranked the whole of Pixar's filmography (which listing things is something I love to do). Not since Pixar's 13th feature film, Brave, had I sorted the movies in a best-to-worst ranking, so let's get that done today.

This list will be incomplete due to me not having yet seen Coco. I've heard good things, but just haven't sat down to watch it as of now. Also, I've discovered after making this list that I really don't like the Cars series. On with the ranking.

19. Cars 3

18. Cars 2

17. The Good Dinosaur

16. Cars

15. Finding Dory

14. Monsters University

13. Brave

12. A Bug's Life

11. Ratatouille

10. Monsters, Inc.

9. Incredibles 2

8. Toy Story 2

7. Inside Out

6. Toy Story 3

5. WALL-E

4. Up

3. Finding Nemo

2. Toy Story

1. The Incredibles

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.11

This show is such a weird and cool experience. That opening scene was such an oddity I watched it again as soon as the episode ended. Cool foreshadowing to David singing that he was the bad man.

Three years later? What happened to all of our characters outside the ice cube? Oh, okay. We're going right back to the action.

"You were beating him to death. That's not a love story." That is a great line.

This thing has taken a dark turn of self-destructive reflection. But talking to three versions of yourself probably means you really are crazy. And those other two versions of you aren't that different. It's like having a devil on one shoulder and the devil's personal assistance on the other shoulder.

Implausible shot fro Lenny, but I'll allow it.

Farouk's not wrong about forcing love on someone. It just stinks to hear that rational argument coming from him.

Inception, Minority Report, #MeToo: they are getting as many pop culture references into one episode as they can tonight.

David and Lenny: the Thelma & Louise of mutants.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.10

I'm not one that normally cares about what a girl looks like on television after something happens, but after roaming through the desert the entire day and sleeping in a tent smaller than a dorm room, Sydney would definitely not look that good with her hair and makeup so perfect. I'm just saying.

Yes, we've all heard that definition of insanity.

You remember the television show Out of This World? It was about a girl whose dad is an alien and gives her the power to freeze time. The theme song was what Oliver was singing. Burt Reynolds was the voice of the dad, right? Woah! David is going all Zero Dark Thirty on Oliver.

Did Professor X ever break bad in the comic books? Could he have been like David if humanity had pushed back a little more against his team of mutants?

I know I keep saying this, but I live Aubrey Plaza.

I always forget that David tried to kill himself. He really is one tragic figure in this show. He's been through a lot. Yet, I am starting to question whether David might be the hero of this show. The Shadow King was a valid reason to blame his bad behavior, but he truly might be insane.

Let Kerry kick some butt! ... Nice! ... Oh come on! It's not fair that she has to fight even more of those henchmen.

A Lenny and Kerry spin-off! That's the show I want.

Surely next week is the season finale. We've been building to this all season. It cannot be dragged out any longer, right?

Yep, season finale. Looks promising.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.9

I need a "Previously on Legion." If any television show needs a "previously on," it's Legion.

This episode is like a PSA for drugs. Parents, don't let your kids do drugs or they will end up like lazy, abandoned wives holding a grudge against their husbands who are trapped inside an ice cube.

I love Cary/Kerry.

Oh yeah! This is the episode that Lenny goes nuts and parties hard. I was looking forward to this one.

I'm no biologist, but I'm pretty sure you can't make a prince that way.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.8

As far as episodes go, this one was pretty straight forward for Legion. The plot seemed to move forward giving its characters a clear objective while unraveling a bit more of the mystery regarding Farouk's body's whereabouts. It really only had one side-tracked tangent about delusions in the middle of the episode, including the sweet-sweet voice of Jon Hamm telling us about people living in caves and watching society unravel through shadows on the walls.

The teaser for next week looks extremely interesting with Lenny being all Lenny like. More Aubrey Plaza is always appreciated.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.7

Ostensibly on Legion.

What do the Amish building a barn have to do with moral panic?

Ah, not Amish, but pilgrims. And I see where you're going with this.

Did we run out of money and the sets are all just white backgrounds now?

Ha! He really is at the kiddie table.

I want to eat where there is a conveyor belt of entrees.

Did we know the mustache girls were robots? I don't remember them ever establishing that they are robots. Of course, I don't think I remember ever seeing more than three of them at a time. I just thought they were triplet females who wore mustaches (never thought I would type that in my lifetime).

Yeah, I don't really understand the tree as a computer thing. I'm confused.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.6

If multiple realities are really a thing, would we be the same person in each and its our surroundings that alter or would we have different personalities? Would we be victims of circumstance in each reality or would our different selves dictate the reality?

I knew that was a Clockwork Orange reference before the kids showed up. I recognized the camera shot when he walked into the tunnel.

Oh dear! But they put a much stranger twist on the scene than Kubrick did.

I thought I wanted to go back to corporate climbing David, but he turned out to be an a-hole.

I feel like I need to rewatch each episode immediately to fully understand what is being asked of me on a conceptual level. Maybe even watching the entire series again prior to each episode would help. This is my life now, watching Legion over and over again each week prior to every new episode. Quit my job, give up my 401K, pour everything I am into Legion. Sorry kids, daddy can't play with you today. He has to watch episode six of season one for the 37th time.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.5

Not "Previously on Legion," but "Apparently on Legion." Nice!

I hate that little tar frog creature. It's creepy.

I don't even know what to say about that ending. Wow!

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.4

Was that one of those fake stage fires in the igloo?

Syd has some anger issues. Understandably so.

That is one of those fake stage fires! You'd think the production budget would be big enough to get a permit for a real fire on the set. Maybe the igloo was made of real ice and it couldn't withstand the heat. Or, and I can believe this in regard to this show, the decision to have a fake stage fire was purposeful.

Only took 55 minutes of a 60-minute program to get the opening credits.

There's Aubrey Plaza! Love her.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.3

I'll try not to keep being a week late on these. They limited my Internet access at the office, so I am unable to post any longer at my work computer.

If Cary (the male) dies when Kerry (the female) is outside his body, does she die? Or does she then have to live a normal lifespan on her own? I feel like they covered this in season one, but I don't remember. What if he dies with her in him? Do they both die?

Aubrey Plaza deserves all the awards for this role. Just, whatever awards there are out there, back the truck up and give them to her. She is fantastic.

It is usually lazy writing to just simply solve a problem by saying, "I did a thing in your head." But it works here for some reason.

Uh, what? Not cool Legion. You can't just end there? I don't care that you are following up on this thread in a week. I don't want to wait a week.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.2

I'm either getting acclimated to the oddities of this show or episode two took it easy on the psychedelic antics. Speaking of psychedelic antics, while watching this episode I started wondering about the correlation between the main characters of Legion and different drugs. Being that I've never taken part in a drug harder than liquor and cigarettes/cigars, I'm not exactly a leading expert in this area, but let's take a look at whether I can make this metaphor work.

Regarding our main hero, David Haller, and his counterpart, the Shadow King, they represent hallucinogens, such as LSD, also known as acid, trips, mushies, and tabs. Like their name suggests, hallucinogens produce hallucinations, which correlates pretty well with the telekinetic and telepathic abilities of David and the Shadow King.

Amphetamines, or speed, whizz, ice, and uppers, would be most associated with Cary Loudermilk, who is the brains of the operation. Amphetamines are a stimulant that speeds up certain chemicals in the brain and used to treat ADHD. In other words it helps you focus. Cary is a scientist focused on helping David cope with his multiple personalities and essential in solving many of the mysteries of the show.

Cary's counterpart, Kerry Loudermilk, would be the manifestation of cocaine, or coke, freebase, crack, Charlie, C, and rock. Cocaine produces a feeling of increased alertness and reduced fatigue. This makes me think of someone who is amped up and ready for a fight, which is most certainly the best way to describe Kerry. She is a mutant who lives inside Cary and can separate from his body when necessary, which is usually when a bit of muscle is needed.

As for cannabis, or marijuana, pot, weed, mull, leaf, and gunga, Sydney "Syd" Barrett is our girl. Syd is David's girlfriend and her mutant power is that she swaps minds with others for a temporary period. Because cannabis can be a depressant drug but also cause hallucinogenic and stimulant properties, Syd seems to represent this drug the most. Depending on the person (or cat in the case of this episode) she swaps with, her demeanor can change to reflect the person she is supposed to be imitating.

Lenny Busker is the epitome of ecstasy, also known as es, XTC, echoes, pills, and bickies. This drug has both stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. It is sometimes referred to as a psychedelic amphetamine, which Lenny is all too happy to embody, metaphorically.

Finally we have Melanie Bird. So far in season two she would represent heroine, or hammer, H, smack, horse, white, and beige. Heroine is a depressant that slows down the whole body, including breathing and heart rate. Thus far this season, all we've seen Melanie do is get high and lay in bed.

Again, I've never done a hard drug before in my life, so I really don't know if this is an accurate depiction of the characters and their drug counterparts. This is simply what I was contemplating while watching the episode, which is the point of these posts.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.1

It's a new season for David and his mutant friends. That means another season of not live tweeting about Legion. Instead, I will post my collective thoughts after the show has aired and post it to the blog. So instead of live tweets, you are getting carefully constructed and thought-out blog posts.

It should be noted that if you haven't yet watched this week's episode, don't read on. Spoiler alert provided.

Jon Hamm!!! Voice-over narration by Jon Hamm. I'm already in love with the second season.

What is the cost of a single episode of this show? The production value is incredible. Sheesh!

Thanks Hamm. Now every crazy idea I ever have will be rendered in my mind as an oily mess of a stillborn chick.

I love the way Rachel Keller says, "He's my man." It's been used in a lot of the promos leading up to this season and there's something in her deliver and inflection that is solid.

What it must be like in the Legion writers' room: "Guys, we are really onto something, but you know what we need in this episode? A dance off!"

This show shouldn't exist. No network has executives smart or patient enough to let a show like this on the air. Let alone renew it for a second season.

Roger Deakins Finally Gets His Due

One of the highlights of the 90th Academy Awards was cinematographer Roger Deakins finally winning his first Oscar after 14 nominations. Possibly the greatest cinematographer of our time had to sit through 12 previous ceremonies (he was nominated twice in 2007) and graciously applaud his rivals while seething on the inside. Yet, finally in 2017 he was able to photograph a film worthy of being a winner and that movie was Blade Runner 2049, which so far has been my favorite of the year.

I was curious what films Deakins worked to garner his previous nominations and what movies he lost out to. Here is a list of Deakins movies that earned a nomination and the men that ended up besting him.

1994

Deakins: The Shawshank Redemption

Winner: John Toll – Legends of the Fall

1996

Deakins: Fargo

Winner: John Seale – The English Patient

1997

Deakins: Kundun

Winner: Russell Carpenter – Titanic

2000

Deakins: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Winner: Peter Pau – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2007

Deakins: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and No Country for Old Men

Winner: Robert Elswit – There Will Be Blood

2008

Deakins: The Reader

Winner: Anthony Dod Mantle – Slumdog Millionaire

2010

Deakins: True Grit

Winner: Wally Pfister – Inception

2012

Deakins: Skyfall

Winner: Claudio Miranda – Life of Pi

2013

Deakins: Prisoners

Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki – Gravity

2014

Deakins: Unbroken

Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

2015

Deakins: Sicario

Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki – The Revenant

It's a shame Deakins didn't win for several of these movies as they are beautifully shot. And it was especially upsetting that Skyfall didn't get it for him, but that is being a James Bond homer.

Tidbits And Updates

Things have been quite busy lately with being short-staffed at work due to people being on vacation last week and my middle child, Jackson, starting tee-ball last weekend. His first game went much better than I was expecting. The horrific ideas I had going into it was that the team of 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds would not know which way to run when, or even if, they hit the ball, no outs would ever come close to being made and it would be a cluster bomb of errors. It ended up being mostly that, but more manageable than I had foreseen happening.

Joanna got a new car a few weeks ago. She has needed a new car for awhile now, but we kept putting it off. I was hoping we would make it about another year before needing to make that purchase, however, the time was upon us and we found a good deal on what she had been eyeing. The impetus for buying the new car was that her registration/inspection was up and we were sure the Acura wouldn't pass. Not wanting to drop hundreds of dollars on the needed repairs to get her car to a passing grade, I elected to bite the bullet and get a new car instead. She now is driving around in a 2014 Honda Pilot, which the kids have christened Connie, that has all the amenities she was wanting, which included navigation system, heated seats, and DVD player (which I'm on record as still being against).

The 2018 baseball season begins in eight days. Joanna and I are doing our normal routine of taking the day off and watching the Texas Rangers season opener from home. We normally have an us day with breakfast at La Madeleine and sometimes catching a movie before first pitch. Occasionally, if the weather is permitting, I will play a round of disc golf as well. This year Jack says he wants to watch the game also, since he is getting into baseball a little bit more after playing his first tee-ball game. I'm normally not a fan of pulling a kid out of school for frivolous reasons, but I really love baseball and if it gets Jack motivated to play outside more then I am onboard with an early dismissal to watch the season opener.

Joanna and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary yesterday. I surprised her with flowers at her office. I don't get her flowers very often and it normally has to be some kind of special occasion when I do it. I have a big surprise in store for next year, but I haven't told many what it is and I still don't know all the details yet. It is driving Joanna crazy that I won't tell her what it is. I figure once I have ironed out all the details and we get closer to the actual event, then I will tell her.

I guess that is about it. Nothing too exciting really going on. Hopefully I have something of more relevance in the near future to write about. Until next time.

The MCU Has Another Hit With Black Panther

For the second week in a row Marvel has won the box office with its 18th feature, Black Panther. It has garnered universal praise from critics and audiences alike. While I did really enjoy the movie, I do think it was a little over-hyped, but you have to wonder if there was any way it couldn't be. Black Panther isn't just the first African-American-led superhero movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but most of its cast is made up of black actors from around the globe as well as several key crew members are black. This well-crafted film isn't just another multi-hundreds of millions of dollars project for Marvel, but something the African-American community has been anticipating for a very long time. And it ends up being something they should be extremely proud of as it is a spectacle to behold.

Here is my most recent rankings of the MCU with all 18 films included:

18. Iron Man 2

17. Thor: The Dark World

16. Captain America: The First Avenger

15. The Incredible Hulk

14. The Avengers

13. Iron Man 3

12. Avengers: Age of Ultron

11. Thor

10. Ant-man

9. Doctor Strange

8. Captain America: Civil War

7. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

6. Black Panther

5. Thor: Ragnarok

4. Spider-man: Homecoming

3. Iron Man

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

Tarantino Film Rankings

Several years ago a group of friends and I watched a handful of Quentin Tarantino movies as part of our film club. Being the quasi-cinephile of the group I was in charge of the selection process and the four picks we watched were Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and the Kill Bill double feature. The entire group had already seen Inglourious Basterds and The Hateful Eight had not yet been released.

At the time, my ranking of Tarantino's films from worst to best looked like this:

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Death Proof

Jackie Brown

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Django Unchained

Reservoir Dogs

Inglourious Basterds

Pulp Fiction

Last weekend my friend Danny and I were discussing Jackie Brown. He had recently watched Tarantino's third feature and liked it a lot. We talked about how I had left it off the film club's viewing lineup because of my disinterest in it. This conversation made me question what my most recent ranking would be of Tarantino's movies. With the release of The Hateful Eight, which I've seen twice, and a more recent viewing of Jackie Brown within the past year, I was able to reassess his nine films and make an updated list.

In addition to Danny having watched Jackie Brown igniting the fire to update my Tarantino directorial list, it was also prompted by the recent news that Tarantino has an idea for a new Star Trek movie. This will be the fourth film in the rebooted universe, labeled by many the J.J. Abrams-verse. Mark L. Smith, who penned The Revenant, has been brought on as the screenwriter. Paramount Pictures gave the green light for the project late last year and should everything work out we might have a new Tarantino film to include in his filmography that is part of an already-existing major studio franchise.

In regard to the current list, I've overlooked Four Rooms since Tarantino directed only one segment of the four. The most recent ranking, from worst to best, would be the following:

Death Proof

Jackie Brown

The Hateful Eight

Django Unchained

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Inglourious Basterds

Reservoir Dogs

Pulp Fiction

There is certainly some change there from my initial arrangement. The Kill Bill movies got better with age and The Hateful Eight came in at a very low position. A minor alteration was Reservoir Dogs moving up one spot to become my second favorite.

A Tarantino-directed Star Trek film would be extremely weird so I have no idea how it would stack up against his other films. Yet, he hasn't really been a director that "stays in his lane" when it comes to genre.