Here It Goes Again

Mostly I stood in the corner of Robbie's, Huntington's coolest night spot, back in the day. Rhythm just wasn't my thing. No Electric Slide, no Macarena. Hell, not even the Boot Scoot 'N Boogie.

Finally, I may have discovered a dance I can do.

I Couldn't Resist

I ran into this over at eersfan.com ...

You should download it, the song's pretty catchy!


Seems like a lot of effort for a throw-away, non-rivalry game.


By the way, someone let me know when WVU fans make up a song about Mississippi St. later in the season. I can't wait to hear that flow.

V For Vendetta

In the not-too-distant future, the main character in V For Vendetta struggles through a daily life that includes: a Big Brother-type political leader who restricts civil rights under the guise of it being for the greater good; uses fear to control the citizenry; manipulates information and news through media outlets that, in reality, serve as an extension of the government; and interacting with a police force that uses brutality and torture as typical methods for enforcing social order.

Wait, my mistake...That isn't V For Vendetta. That was a slightly-exaggerated description of my life these days. Last week, and last month. And for the last several years.

But, I've digressed. Forgive me for venturing into the uncomfortable--and previously banned, here--political arena. My Meditation and Yoga class was cancelled this morning.

V For Vendetta stars Natalie Portman as Evey, a young reporter whose chance encounter with V (played by Hugo Weaving) changes drastically the direction of her life. Entangled with V during a year in which he works to overthrow the totalitarian government that exists in London, Evey's perspective about life and politics evolves. Watching it evolve is sort of like recognizing new ideas in your children; it is emotionally rewarding, and poignant.

My favorite part of the film was how Hugo Weaving (you will remember him as Agent Smith in the Matrix films) uses his voice, mannerisms and body language to create a three-dimensional, complex character. V is masked, so achieving this must have been incredibly difficult. But he was successful.

V For Vendetta reminded me a little too much of present-day circumstances. And because of that, I viewed it as a cautionary tale. A very good cautionary tale, that I recommend highly.

Just In Case

I realize that not many outside the state of West Virginia care about this weekend's WVU/Marshall University football match-up. And I know that many in the state don't care a lick about it either. But, I do. And as the weekend nears, I need to talk about it.

Because I'm scared.

I'm going to the game, you see. And although I'm a Marshall alumnus, I've been to my share of Mountaineer games. Growing up anywhere north of Huntington's city limit line makes one pretty familiar with WVU football. I was in the stadium when Jeff Hostetler outplayed Doug Floutie, and when Major Harris and his crew beat Penn State. The Blue and Gold fans are loud, and passionate.

And mean. Really, really mean.

They really scared me when I was last there, in 1997. During that brief quarter-and-a-half when Marshall led WVU 31-28 (before losing, ultimately, in their first football meeting with WVU during The Industrial Age) I balanced my excitement about the potential win with my fear of getting out of Morgantown alive.

It was a valid fear. Trust me.

So, in the event something goes horribly wrong on Saturday, here are a few things I want made public. Just in case...

1. I intend to continue updating The Film Geek web log. If you notice that I have not updated this site by Monday afternoon, something has gone awry. Contact the police, quickly, and let them know that I am missing;

2. I would never--ever--write an entry that is complimentary of WVU, regardless of whether or not they win the contest this Saturday. If such a post appears, it is under duress. Again, please contact the appropriate authorities;

3. I'd like it on record that I currently possess all my limbs, fingers, toes and both eyes, and that all are typically shaped and function appropriately. Should I return otherwise, it is likely the work of the Blue and Gold Rogues Gallery;

4. If I end up arrested and in jail for assault, there is no doubt that I was not the aggressor, and that it was started by someone wearing a Pitt Sucks But Marshall Swallows T-shirt. Should I be arrested for public intoxication, however, ...Well, that one is probably on me;

And finally:

5. Mrs. Film Geek is going to the game with me. Should she not return, it wasn't my fault she went missing. Honest. It must have been those damn Mountaineers...

RV

Gene Hackman, one of my favorite actors, says often in interviews that he has taken acting jobs simply for the payday. He doesn't make excuses for it; he's gotta pay the bills, and acting is his vocation, after all.

I pray--I hope to God--that this is the reason Robin Williams starred in RV.

In what I think is his most mainstream role ever, Williams is father and husband to a family that is self-centered, sarcastic and, unfortunately, stereotypical and predictable. Williams rents a recreational vehicle, and takes his family on the road. He wants to please everyone, mend strained relationships and get some work completed for his self-centered, sarcastic, stereotypical and predictable boss-- all at the same time.

Let the hijinks begin!

Unfortunately, they never do.

I liked only two things about RV. First, Jeff Daniels is, as always, terrific in his supporting role as an RV lifer who really loves the lifestyle. And secondly, RV reminded me of how much I enjoyed Lost In America, an Albert Brooks RV-themed flick that stands heads and shoulders above this movie.

Now that I think of it, I recommend you skip RV and rent Lost In America instead.

"This Room Makes Me Smile"

I have three distinct memories from my first day of elementary school, way back in nineteen-hundred-and-seventy-one. (Doesn't it sound so ancient, when said that way?)

First: Mrs. Todd, the first grade teacher, was unusually tall and very thin. Freakishly so. It frightened me.

Second: The generations-old hardwood floor made the classroom smell like damp wood.

And finally: Some wise-ass pulled a chair out from under another kid as that kid was sitting down, causing the kid to crash to the hardwood floor into an embarrassing heap. That single move established his long-lasting reputation as the school bully.

So, when my wife and I took our daughter Griffyn to her first day of kindergarten today, I paid close attention to lots of things. No wood-like smell, damp or otherwise. The teacher didn't look oddly disproportionate. And no bullies, at least that I could detect.

My anxiety was reduced most, though, when Griffyn first sat down at her kindergarten table, and whispered sorta softly:


"This room makes me smile."


Keep smilin', hon.

How To Eat Fried Worms

Each time I schlep my kids to the doctor for a shot, or to the dentist for something equally as scary, I remind them that the worst part of the experience is more likely to be the stress, fear and anxiety leading up to the event, rather than the event itself. Shots take literal seconds, and then is over. But, that's typically after hours of worry, hand-wringing and crying.

Same with eating worms. Even fried ones. Or, so I'm told.

The kids and I, and one of their friends, hit the early showing of How To Eat Fried Worms today. Fried Worms is a really neat film about fitting in, really. While the main theme involves an 11-year-old kid (played remarkably by Luke Benward) trying to fit in at a new school while overcoming the aggressive antics of a bully, a peripheral theme demonstrates the difficulties the kid's father has fitting into his new job, and getting along with his new co-workers.

Sometimes you gotta eat a few worms (figuratively, as well as literally in this case) to prove your mettle. To others, and to yourself.

I really liked the movie, and my kids loved it. Their reviews:

Maddisen (10): "My favorite part was the worm blowing up in the microwave."

Madison (10): "My favorite part was the worm blowing up in the microwave."

Griffyn (5): "My favorite part was at the end, the boy and the bully become friends."

Jaden (3): "My favorite part was the worm blowing up in the microwave."

The Film Geek: "The ending, when the kids work through their problems and realize they can become friends was rewarding. And it had a great message. Like when the kid realizes that it is the fear of eating the worms that is so much worse than actually eating them, his stress and fear is overcome. Plus, that worm blowing up in the microwave was way cool."

Good Idea / Bad Idea

You'll have to choose for yourself which is which:




Although it raised a bit of a stir when published in 1991, this cover has an art-sy feel, and sets a classy, soulful mood.











This cover has a less-than-serious feel, and there is something unsettling-and just plain weird-about her eyes.

Neil Young: Heart Of Gold

I should get this out in the open first, before my fawning is dismissed simply as fan-boy type obsession: I'm a serious fan of Neil Young.

People tend not to just be okay with Neil Young; folks typically love the guy and his sound, or hate both. I happen to think Young is an extraordinary artist, and one who cannot be replaced when he is no longer with us. (And, sadly, that could have been the case a year or more ago, before he underwent treatment for a brain aneurysm.)

I was born too late to participate in the social and political protests of the late 60s and early 70s. Years later, when I learned about some of the more dramatic events, Young's songs helped light that passion for speaking out against things I consider societal ills:

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

In my mid-20s, some of Young's songs reminded me that I hadn't fully lived yet, and that there were a lot of things that a goofy kid like me could learn from folks, if I'd just pay attention:

Old man look at my life,
Twenty four
and there's so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two.

Now, in near-middle age, songs from his Harvest Moon CD help me reflect on old friendships, and be reminded that even though we get too busy sometimes to say it, letting people know they are loved and appreciated is important:

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
And I'm gonna try
And thank them all
for the good times together.
Though so apart we've grown.

Yeah, I'm a serious fan. Sometimes it seems my life has been lived with a Neil Young soundtrack playing in my head. Now that I think if it, maybe I do qualify as a fan-boy.

Scratch that opening paragraph.

Neil Young: Heart Of Gold, directed by Jonathan Demme, is an intimate look at Young's two-night performance at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Although the film spends the first eight minutes or so with brief interviews of Young's band-mates, the remainder of Heart Of Gold allows the viewer a rare, close-up concert perspective that is so much better than front row. Demme made me feel as though I was on stage, beside Young.

Hell, a coupla times I felt like I could have been a roadie. Sure, I'd be happy to shake out his harmonica and hand him a clean one. With urgency.

Songs from Prairie Wind, Young's most recent album, are featured in the first half of Heart Of Gold. The songs are highly introspective, and speak to everything from spirituality to Alzheimer's Disorder to the tragedy of September 11. Young sings these songs in that shakey voice that reminds us how fragile and delicate the emotions and memories are. My favorite, When God Made Me, is hypnotic.

In the second half of the film Young sings many of his classics, and gives brief narratives about the events that lead him to write the songs. Poetic. And beautiful.

If you are a fan, I can't recommend Neil Young: Heart Of Gold more highly. If you hate Young, check it out anyway. This is a side of him you may not have often heard.

Do I Hear $5,001?

This recent photo, showing a beach-lovin' Matt Lauer topless on the surf, was recently purchased by several tabloids for $5,000.


That's 5 large!

A bidding war for the picture shot the price sky high, most likely because it is a rarity. Lauer isn't typically seen dallying and frolicking, I suppose. Compare the five grand to shirtless shots of Matthew McConaughey and you realize just how rare it is...The We Are...Marshall star's pictures typically sell for just a few hundred dollars each.

I maintain that Lauer ain't all that! Sure, he has a fine stomach for a guy who sits on a couch for a living. But, I think I compare favorably. I mean, ...take a look.