Bobby

Bobby, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, is a wonderful film that illustrates the need that a country--and it's citizenry--has for effective and inspired leadership, and the despair that can occur when that leadership is denied.

The film takes place almost exclusively within the Ambassador Hotel, during the 12 hours or so before Robert F. Kennedy was shot shortly after making a speech. Although Kennedy himself is a minor character in the film (his face-time on camera is from archival film footage, after all) his presence and the hope his possible election to the presidency has for a country in chaos is as much a character as those portrayed by the cast.

It was 1968, and the US was experiencing turmoil. Each of the individuals portrayed in Bobby are struggling in their own ways with an unpopular war, race relations, poverty, oppression and a government that was becoming less and less "of the people." The characters handle the distress that's occurring in their personal lives in various ways: pretending the distress doesn't exist, making poor choices, through alcohol and drug use, for example.

Where Estevez is most masterful is in how he overlays that distress with the promise that Kennedy offers. And then, how that promise is stripped away when Kennedy is killed.

It may have more to do with my politics than the film itself, but I really enjoyed Bobby. And I believed it, which for me is the true measure of a drama.

Disturbia

I like Shia LaBeouf. He's a terrifically talented young actor, and has a huge future of substantial work ahead of him if he keeps his head on straight. Much was made about his movie Disturbia being a rip-off of Hitchcock's Rear Window. I've seen Jimmy Stewart movies. Jimmy Stewart movies helped shape my interest in flicks. At this point in his career LaBeouf is no Jimmy Stewart, nor is Disturbia no Real Window.

It might be better.

Look, I don't really mean that based on historical perspective. Window is a artistic masterpiece, while Disturbia is a slick, let's-make-a-star-outta-this-guy vehicle designed to separate dollars from tweeners. Let's be clear where I stand here.

But I watched Rear Window recently (again) and walked away this time with sort of a "eh, so what" feeling. Great plot, terrific acting for sure. But the pace can't fit today's industry. It can't satisfy a generation diagnosed with attention deficit.

One aspect of Disturbia I liked much better than Rear Window was getting to really know the villain. David Morse, as serial killer Robert Turner, was outstanding. I liked Morse as the good guy in St. Elsewhere back in the 80s so much, and now he scares me more and more with the career he's making out of playing the villain. Morse made this movie something better than a simple teen flick.

He made it a real movie.

Whatever Happened To... Bowzer, From Sha Na Na

In the late 70s, Sha Na Na was syndicated in my region on Saturday nights at 7:30pm. It came on after SCTV, and as I recall was opposite Hee Haw. Since I watched SCTV and didn't Hee Haw, I stuck around to catch Bowser and the group do their thing.

I used to laugh when Jon "Bowzwer" Bauman would strike that pose. You remember the pose: the one where he flexed his arm and wrist and looked as if he was gonna ram his fist down his own throat.


Priceless.



The group often sang a cover of the song Donna, by Ritchie Valens.

I had a girl, Donna was her name
Since she left me, I've never been the same
'Cause I loved my girl,
Donna, where can you be? Where can you be?

I liked a girl named Medina, who was older and in 6th grade. She broke up with me, and I had a hard time with the rejection. Donna sounded pretty close to Medina, so I sang that song a lot, and substituted the name. It was good therapy. But while I loved the show, I always got a little uncomfortable when the group dressed in their gold uni-tards for the show's finale.

Something just wasn't right about that to an 10 year old adolescent.

Bauman made a lifelong living off Bowzer, performing at state fairs and cruises and working the game show circuit in the 80s and early 90s. He also formed his own production company, Jon Bauman Productions, which produced the ten hour series The Golden Years Of Rock 'n' Roll for the A&E Network.

Doh-doh-de-oh-doh...Goodnight, sweetheart

Film Scenes That Matter: Glengarry Glen Ross

David Mamet's play-turned-flick has a steller cast, and can be a difficult film to watch. The despair and the urgency that's at the core of this film gives Mrs. Film Geek the Danny Gut.

But Alec Baldwin's seven-minute-plus scene is brilliant! And that alone is worth the rental price for Glengarry Glen Ross.

"Coffee's for closers only."

(Be prepared for some profanity.)

Film Scenes That Matter: Monty Python And The Holy Grail

I think I saw The Holy Grail at a time when I still thought Monty Python was a person. I felt a real connection with the humour, and the flick became pretty important to me back in the day.

This scene with the Black Knight illustrates what I liked most about Python comedy: irony, and absurdity.

"All right, we'll call it a draw."

Firehouse Dog

Dear Maddisen, Griffyn and Jaden:

One of the things I enjoy most about being a father is watching you children grow up. Each of you has made me proud so many times with your thoughtfulness, kindness and sincerity. Those personal characteristics help people become really cool adults, you know. You're already on the right path.

Although I enjoy seeing you grow up, I'm also sort of saddened by it. It used to be easy to spend time with you kids. I was in charge of the schedule, after all! It was the time-line kept by your mother and me that determined when we went here or there, when we cuddled on the couch while watching a movie or when we kicked a soccer ball around in the back yard.

Now? It's not so much my schedule as it is the three of yours.

Cheer-leading, dances, school events, gymnastics, birthday parties, pre-school activities, sports; all of it takes some precedence over spending quality time with me. And while I expect that--and even understand it--I'm still getting accustomed to it.

That's why, more than anything else, I enjoyed Firehouse Dog.

For the first time in a long, long time I realized all of us were in the house at the same time. No place to go, no plans to go anywhere. No work was on my schedule, the laundry was done and the house fairly clean.

The stars were aligned perfectly.


That you all answered: "Yes!!" so enthusiastically when I asked if you wanted to watch the flick together made me smile. That you watched it with me even when it became a bit boring made me happy. And when each of you asked in your own way if I liked the movie after it was over made me proud.

So, go on about your day and your schedule for now. I'm good for a while. But thanks. Especially for small moments like that.

Shooter

I generally enjoy movies that explore emotional and philosophical perspectives such as honor, pride and patriotism. Although we humans tend to have a common understanding of each, we experience them differently in terms of depth and appreciation. Flicks with that theme gets my popcorn popping every time. Throw in some bombs and guns and revenge-based violence?

You had me at conspiracy.

Mark Wahlberg is fine in his role as the double-crossed Marine marksman Bob Lee Swagger. Although pretty savvy and highly cautious, Swagger finds himself chin-deep in a governmental conspiracy he didn't see coming. He's forced to rely on some people he barely knows to work through the ordeal, including disgraced FBI newbie Nick Memphis (played by Michael Pena).

And we've now stumbled onto the real problem with Shooter. The character names, like Swagger and Memphis, and later a bad guy named Payne: the flick suffers from being a caricature. It tries to entertain us with an interesting war story, but really it's full of cliche and predictable plot themes. As I said, the acting is fine and the action is interesting, but that's about all that makes this movie.

And that's too bad. It had real potential.

Film Scenes That Matter: Taxi Driver

For some it takes a lifetime to achieve stardom. For others, it can happen with a single scene. I still get chills when I watch a young De Niro work this scene from Taxi Driver.

"Well, I'm the only one here."

Another of my all-time favorites.

Film Scenes That Matter: Say Anything

Some film scenes are so important--so vital--that they shouldn't be forgotten. Many speak volumes about our society, our culture and the human condition, while others are just damn fun to remember.

I'll let others decide which side this scene from Say Anything falls on. All I know is, it's one of my all-time favorites:

Flashback! Bad Movies That Haunt Me: Gymkata

Waiting--along with 50 other parents each week, on over-stuffed couches and lounge chairs--for my children to finish up their gymnastics lessons can make for a long evening. I've tried bringing along a book for pleasure, and last week even resorted to taking work with me to do while I wait.

No matter what I do, though, each week I struggle with the same traumatic memory:






Gymkata!







The mother to the left of me smiles as her young son lands perfectly off the trampoline. "The skill of gymnastics..." I think. My daughter does a round-off and effortlessly moves into a high toe-touch.

I smile. "...the kill of karate."

It's a whole room full of little Kurt Thomas' just waiting to become Jason Bourne.

Fracture

The interview lunch was going really well, and we were mid-way through dessert when the Executive Director asked:

"So, tell me something about you that's not typical interview talk. Like a hobby you have, something you do for fun that you wouldn't bring up in most interview sessions."

Just for a second I froze. She seemed like a nice enough lady, and came across as pretty genuine. I was reasonably sure I was gonna get the job, as long as I could get through dessert without a major faux pas. But there was only one real answer to her question: If I answered honestly, it could all go horribly wrong.

I took another bite of cake, and a long drink of coffee. What the hell.

"I'm a bit preoccupied right now with finding the perfect hiding place for dead bodies."

"Excuse me?" She giggled, which was a good sign.

"Yeah, hiding dead bodies. It's been an obsession of mine since I was a teen. If you read a lot of crime novels and stories, murderers are often arrested after dead bodies are discovered in shallow graves, or floating in a river or in someone's basement. If they had just taken some time prior to the murder to plan where they would hide the bodies, more criminals would get away with murder. I recognize a great hiding place when I see it, and I keep a mental list of the best places."

"Where is the best place on your list?" she asked. They always do. And I told her. She responded like most others do, too, with "I never thought of that!"

I even got the job.

I think many folks think they could pull off the perfect crime. Folks who are highly analytical and approach life in a logical, methodical manner always seem to think they could get it done.

Just like Anthony Hopkins' character in Fracture.

After Ted Crawford (Hopkins) discovers his wife is having an affair, he decides to murder her and destroy the life of her boy toy in the process. Crawford puts in motion a plan that is beautiful in it's simplicity, and extremely effective. After being arrested for her murder, Crawford begins a series of events that are carefully crafted to help him beat the rap. Ryan Gosling is the prosecuting attorney who tries to put Crawford away.

The acting of Gosling and Hopkins is above average. The rest of Fracture, though, never delivers. There is an unnecessary love interest for Gosling, no true thriller-type drama and the ending is anti-climatic. Skip this one, unless you are an obsessed fan of Gosling or Hopkins.

(And if you are, you already know where the best place to hide bodies is.)

Iron Man Trailer

The trailer for the upcoming Iron Man movie, starring Robert Downey, Jr, has recently been released.

You can check out the trailer at this link, or the embedded video posted by Ian on Fried Rice Thoughts. (I recommend Friend Rice Thoughts. And stick around and read his other posts. It's a wonderful blog, and he's a terrific writer.)

I wasn't originally eager to see this movie. In addition to Iron Man being one of my least favorite comic characters, I doubted the ability to make the iron suit work on film. My enthusiasm was bolstered a bit with the casting of Downey, who I think is a brilliant actor. This trailer makes me think I'll like the flick even more.

So far, so good.

Thanks, Ms. Suiter

Like lots of other folks, one of the most important influences in my life was an elementary school teacher. I don't think Ms. Suiter knew the effect she had on the way I perceive life; even at this age, though, I'm reminded of how she made me see the world from various perspectives.

5th grade Music Class at Zela Elementary in Nicholas County circa 1975 was unusual. Walk in unexpectedly, and you may have seen Ms. Suiter's students on floor mats, listening to classical music while practicing yoga. On other days, the music might be turned lower while she taught us relaxing imagery techniques. Those classes were annoying to some of the kids, but some--including me--really looked forward to them. It was different: fun, and creative.

My favorite of Ms. Suiter's teaching techniques involved writing exercises about music. She had us listen to classic rock albums of the era--Pet Sounds, by the Beach Boys, and the Beatles Sargent Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band, for example--and write essays about what the lyrics meant to us. I was fascinated by the lyrics, particularly on those albums. To this day, the lyrics of a song are more important to me than any other of it's aspects. In fact, sometimes I don't even recognize what primary instrument is being used in a song, such is my focus on the words.

Although I enjoy listening to music in this way, I know other's don't. Mrs. Film Geek, for example, enjoys music for almost the opposite reason that I do. She values the beat and the music more than the words. And I know others do too. That's why I'm always distressed at the idea of making a mix tape (or these days, a mix CD) for someone.

100% of the time, a tape mixed by me is gonna be depressing.

So, when Scarlet proposed to the folks at the WV Bloggers Message Board that we participate in a mix tape swap, I was nervous. First, I have such limited knowledge of music. Aside from classical rock and some current rock bands that I love--Pearl Jam, Green Day, Counting Crows, for example--I got nothing when it comes to music knowledge. And some of those guys and gals on the board know their stuff! Secondly, while I have a pretty large CD collection, it's made up of probably just a dozen artists or so. Having every album put out by Neil Young, the Eagles, Pearl Jam, REM and others will fill up a few CD cases, but it's not the most eclectic collection going. I took a pull from the swap's name hat anyway, and drew Rebecca, from Carpe You Some Diem.

An art teacher. And, someone I've pegged already as a music buff. Just my luck...

A day or two of stress later, I got the guts to make the tape. I figured: What the hell? Music is what it is; it moves different people in different ways, and no track list I put together will be liked by everyone. And it shouldn't be. It's art.

So I put together The Film Geek's Songs of Angst and Reflection: The Artists with Distinctive Voices Rendition.

Here's the track list:

1. Wish You Were Here ~ Pink Floyd

A great song about missing a special person. Although the song might have been inspired by Roger Waters' relationship with Syd Barrett, the song can really be applied to any loss of an important friendship. It's timeless.

2. Imagine ~ John Lennon

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

Enough said...

3. Black and Blue ~ Counting Crows

Singer/songwriter Adam Duritz can write the most beautiful songs about the most depressing things. He sort of specializes in songs about loneliness, alienation and angst. This one has a hint of optimism and resilience. It's really emotionally moving.

4. Nineteen Seventy-Nine ~ Lucero

I've only recently discovered Lucero, thanks to Jackie. I can't stop listening to the band's music. Nineteen Seventy-Nine is a wonderful song of reflection, and touches on the despair that comes from waking from a relationship rut to recognize your loved one has evolved without you.

5. When The Stars Go Blue ~ Ryan Adams

This song has been sung by Tim McGraw and Bono, but Adams wrote it and performs it best, I think. Another of Jackie's influences on my music appetite.

6. Wasted Time ~ Eagles

A classic song about making poor life decisions over and over, and the lifestyle that can develop from never learning lessons from the mistakes that are made.

7. Gravity ~ John Mayer

A beautiful Blues-influenced song.

8. Into The Mystic ~ Van Morrison

Remember that feeling of being away from home-- and everything and everyone you love--and hating it so bad that you couldn't think of anything else? This song kept me sane during a year I spent in the mid-west.

9. One Of These Days ~ Neil Young

Young's letter-within-a-song to all the people he's been influenced and loved by in his life. It reminds me, when I hear it, to tell those people I love in my life how much I care for them.

10. Same Old Lang Syne ~ Dan Fogelberg

Yeah, I know it's dated. And it can be a bit cheesy. And it's considered a holiday song. But, this may be my most favorite song of reflection ever, and I never hear it on radio until December. I love this song for lots of reasons, but mostly because it reminds me of me.

11. Round Here ~ Counting Crows

This Crows song was my personal anthem in my late 20's. It helped me through transitions into responsible adulthood, and I still love it for that as well as for being a great song.

12. I Can Get Us Out Of Here ~ Lucero

This song reminds me that we don't have to keep making the same old mistakes over and over in life, and that if we are brave enough we can choose a different path.

13. Come Pick Me Up ~ Ryan Adams

Great harmonica, terrific lyrics.

14. Dreamin' Man ~ Neil Young

Young's take on obsessive love and focus. It's a bit funny, and a bit scary as well.

15. The Blower's Daughter ~ Damien Rice

I first heard this song in the movie "Closer," and was immediately hooked. I have only the live version on CD and had to include it on this mix, but the studio version is amazing. It's haunting.

Whew...

I think now I may be depressed. I hope Rebecca holds up!

Blades Of Glory

Pay close attention, and you can probably figure out my moods by the movies I watch. It seems lately that I may be watching movies because I need a good laugh or two. Sometimes 90 minutes of guilty-pleasure, mindless enjoyment is cleansing.

Blades Of Glory fit the bill.

Jon Heder and Will Ferrell are both quite funny in the story of a same-gender ice skating duo. I liked Ferrell's character Chazz Michael Michaels particularly for his faux-outlaw shtick. While I've yet to see a Ferrell performance I didn't like, I've heard others say they don't like him at all. Go figure.

Ferrell is so different in each of his movies, and I found myself comparing his role in Blades to some of his other film and TV work. While I like the movies in which he's the lead, it's sometimes his small role in some-other-star's-flick that I think he's funniest.

Here's my list of favorites:

5. Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back ~ Wildlife Marshal Willenholly

4. Elf ~ Buddy

3. Wedding Crashers ~ Chazz Reinhold

2. Old School ~ Frank

1. More Cowbell ~ cowbell-playing member of the Blue Oyster Cult, Saturday Night Live

(If you haven't seen that in a while, do yourself a favor and hit the link to the youtube posting of the skit. It's an SNL and Ferrell classic.)

I Got A Herd On!

Well?

I do!

My favorite Marshall University football game ever took place in the late 90's, and is the big win over Clemson University. It ruined Coach Tommy Bowden's first game as the Tigers' head coach, and established Chad Pennington as a college football superstar.

It was a great game. But, most of the fun I had that weekend was on the bus ride to the game. Drunk by the time we hit the Tennessee border, the Loud Guy In The Back (doesn't every travel bus to an away game have one?) was really entertaining. Once, on a dare, he formed his tongue into a concave shape, filled the middle with whisky and lit it with a match.

Sure, he was a jacknut. But he was a lovable jacknut.

During the trip he kept singing, in a loud and rhythmic cadence: "I got a herd on!" I loved it! And I couldn't get it out of my head. It was a catchy line, and it was funny. I said it several dozen times on the trip myownself.

Since then, I've been censored. Mrs. Film Geek hates the phrase, and says it's too risque to be said in polite company.

Well, the Mountaineers ain't polite company. So, be ready to hear it, you blue-and-gold jacknuts. All day long! Even if (or when) the Marshall football team is losing by double digits, I'll be the guy dressed in green chanting it out.

I got a herd on!

Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy

She pulled the car door closed, pushed a couple buttons on my CD player as she said: "Mind if I switch the station to WKEE?" 11-year-olds are funny that way; most seem to shy away from the kinds of things I like to listen to in the car. Things like blood-boiling, political-focused, debate-themed talk radion, and the cool Lucero disc a friend mixed for me, with which I'm currently obsessed.

"Sure, go ahead. It's fine. As long as you turn it up." Bubble-gum pop or rock 'n roll, we turn our music up loud in The Film Geek's Off-To-School caravan.

A couple of miles before we arrived at the school I was singing at the top of my lungs:

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my arm, Barella

You can stand under my arm, Barella

Ella, ella eh eh eh

Ella, ella eh eh eh

"Why are you saying 'Barella'?" she asked politely. "Duh!" I thought. But it came out: "I guess 'cause that's the name of the person in the song."

She smiled too knowingly for a pre-teen. "It's umbrella. Umbrella. Not 'under my arm, Barella."

Oh...

Well, it should be. The song would be more intereting.

Rerun

Considering few are talking about much other than this weekend's WVU/ Marshall University football game that will take place in Huntington, I'm re-running my post from September 2, 2006.

Oh, yeah...before I start: Go Herd!


Dear Diary:

8:30am. Mrs. Film Geek and I slept in this morning. We arrived in Morgantown a little late, so the extra sleep was refreshing.

When I awoke caffeine was whispering in my ear, Dear Diary. Loud.


So I walked down to the area where the hotel serves it's Continental Breakfast. (It's funny how that phrase always reminds me of The Continental, the running character Christopher Walken plays on SNL.) Geez...I'm so old, Dear Diary. And sorta lame.


Anyway, there were more Green hats and shirts in the breakfast area this morning than Blue and Gold. So, I stuck around a few minutes and talked to a few Herd fans.

We are all scared. So very, very scared...

10:00am. After a shower and shave I'm ready to hit the road for the tailgate. As we drive, Mrs. Film Geek realizes that WVU's color scheme isn't really Blue and Gold. It's Blue and Yellow, she says.

And she won't stop saying it:

Her: "Notre Dame is gold. This ring is gold. That color is yellow."

Me: "Yeah, well they call it gold. So don't be smarting off the Mountaineer Faithful about their color scheme. That isn't a good idea..."

Her: [perplexed] "But, it's yellow. They're wrong to call it gold."

Me: [eyeroll] "Let it go."


12:00 noon. We arrive at a Marshall tailgate party, Dear Diary, and I've never been happier to see a gaggle of total and complete strangers. Because these strangers wear green, and smiles on their faces. And they offer us hot dogs, and beer (for the low, low all-you-can-consume price of $10). So far, so good Dear Diary. So far, so good.

1:15 pm. I've lost Mrs. Film Geek somewhere in the crowd.

So, I politely excuse myself from the conversation I'm having with my new friend Carl in order to search for her. It takes a few minutes, Dear Diary, and then I hear in the periphery:



"I mean...Notre Dame wears gold. Everyone knows that! This color is yellow."

...I found her.


2:45pm. We make our way into the stadium by shuttle, Dear Diary, and were so excited to run into an old friend, by accident, on the bus. She and her kid will be sitting near us, as it turns out. Thank God! Lots of Marshall fans comment that they are getting strange looks from folks wearing those other colors. Looks of amusement. Maybe. Or evil anticipation. Someone suggests it is going to be a long afternoon.

Our friend and her 12-year old son settle in near us. Within minutes, some ass wearing a Sugar Bowl Champion T-shirt taps the kid on the shoulder, and says: "Marshall swallows." Yep, that's a classy way to interact with a kid.

Have another beer, buddy.


5:00pm. Dear Diary...This looks pretty bad for The Herd. WVU is just too fast, too good. That Slaton kid is phenomenal, and Pat White is going to be. This team is special. And Marshall's isn't. Yet. It might be later, but not now. Not today.





5:45pm. The Herd Faithful have abandoned the team. Why, Dear Diary, are fans so fickle?









8:00pm. Well, Dear Diary, my team lost. It was whipped soundly by a better, more dominant team. Too bad, but the event was fun. It is only one game, and the season is long. The Herd will be OK...There's always next year!

Reno 911!: Miami

Mostly raunchy...




Mostly silly...





Mostly hilarious!

Hannibal Rising

When I recall the classic 1991 movie, The Silence Of The Lambs, I automatically think of Mrs. Film Geek. The flick wasn't the first we saw together as a couple, but we did catch it in the theater early in our relationship. Popcorn can be hotter and tastier early in a great relationship, and even an average movie can feel like a classic if shared with the right movie-mate. But Lambs really was that great; an instant classic, with timeless and colorful characters who carry out a remarkable screenplay.

After the first Hannibal Lecter film Manhunter (1986) flopped financially, Hollywood worked to distance Lambs as a sequel. Adding a brand new cast, hiring a top-notch director and ponying up a larger production budget would go a far piece in helping an audience forget the original movie, most of which hadn't seen the original anyway. Producers who value dollar signs rather than artistry have since tried to catch lightning way too many times with these characters. Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002) were disappointments. So they tried again, with Hannibal Rising.

Hannibal Rising seeks to explain how serial killer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter becomes the sociopath the audience was so drawn to in The Silence Of The Lambs. While his back-story is traumatic--it involves Nazi's, war, and the tragic loss of family--it's Lecter's revenge seeking that is really the draw of this movie. One by one Lecter hunts down the men responsible for the horrific death of his sister. And one by one he murders them through inventive, torturous ways.

The pace of Rising is noticeably steady, and quite slow. I suspect the director is trying to establish the methodical, calculating manner in which the young Lecter goes about his mission. If so, the director allows the film to suffer a bit for the technique. There is no sense of urgency to the film or it's characters, and that allows the audience to become a bit restless. Rising also struggles with the explanation of how Lecter became a sociopath; while the trauma he encountered is clearly haunting and a reason to seek out revenge, it doesn't fully explain how an otherwise emotionally healthy young man's converts to sociopathic thinking and behavior.

What it does do is establish Lector as an anti-hero: a person who does whatever it takes to right a wrong, even if the whatever-it-takes is morally reprehensible.

Hollywood seems lost on the fact that it was the chemistry between The Silence Of The Lambs actors coupled with a terrific thriller of a story that helped that movie become a classic. It wasn't all about the supporting character, Lecter. I don't need to see Lecter movies any more than I need to see a movie about the life of Ratzo Rizzo, or Garth from Wayne's World. The characters are great because of the context in which I met them.

Change that context, and you change the character.

Here's the scoop on Hannibal Rising: Mrs. Film Geek and I know Hannibal Lecter. We courted while watching Hannibal Lecter. We've been entertained by Hannibal Lecter. Rising, you are no Hannibal Lecter.