Into the Void

My sister was an extra in this movie playing an exotic dancer. Probably the only scene that didn’t involve good guys gone bad pummeling people they didn’t like.

HBO has made a movie about the life of Dr. Temple Grandin, author of "Thinking in Pictures," the autobiography of an autistic woman. Dr. Grandin is an expert in animal husbandry whose specialty is humane treatment of animals in the cattle industry. The movie is a must see. Preorder Temple Grandin from amazon.com.

Starring Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, Catherine O’Hara and David Strathairn, Temple Grandin paints a picture of a young woman’s perseverance and determination while struggling with the isolating challenges of autism at a time when it was still quite unknown. The film chronicles Temple’s early diagnosis; her turbulent growth and development during her school years; the enduring support she received from her mother (Ormond) , aunt (O’Hara) and her science teacher (Strathairn); and her emergence as a woman with an innate sensitivity and understanding of animal behavior.
– HBO Movies, Temple Grandin

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Does anyone remember Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, and his bizarre insistence that 29% of the registered voters constituted a mandate from the masses? Somehow The Lady of the Lake sketch in Monty Python and the Holy Grail came to mind. The 2000 and 2004 elections weren’t much better.

I am holding on to hope for the 2008 elections.

ARTHUR:

I am your king!

WOMAN:

Well, I didn’t vote for you.

ARTHUR:

You don’t vote for kings.

WOMAN:

Well, how did you become King, then?

ARTHUR:

The Lady of the Lake,…
[angels sing]
…her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur.
[singing stops]
That is why I am your king!

DENNIS:

Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

ARTHUR:

Be quiet!

DENNIS:

Well, but you can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

ARTHUR:

Shut up!

DENNIS:

I mean, if I went ’round saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they’d put me away!

Ahmet Zappa – Mighty McFearless

Zappa says Fraggle film will rock.

The children of Frank “200 Motels” Zappa and Jim “The Muppets” Henson are collaborating. It is likely to frag the underpinnings of civilization, if not the very fabric of the universe.

Were you as confused as I was as a child by the TV show Fraggle Rock? It wasn’t much better than the truly horrific Banana Bunch but was marginally less traumatizing.

Ahmet Zappa is getting together with Lisa and Brian Henson to resurrect Fraggle Rock. Why, I don’t know. Preliminary information is that they will be attempting to recreate the entire 98-episode Fraggledom in one Epic Film.

“It’s a complete ecosystem,” Zappa said of Henson’s idea to show children how living creatures need each other.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The newly-released “Snakes on a Plane” DVD finally arrived yesterday. In case you didn’t see the movie in theaters, it is just exactly what you would expect: snakes, snakes, Samuel L. Jackson, and more snakes. There’s a hint of plot, some hot simulated sex, and a bit of dialog, but mostly it’s about the snakes.

The extra features alone were worth the price of the DVD. There’s a short feature on the snake stars of the movie called “Meet the Reptiles.” Jules Sylvester, the snake-handler for the movie, worked on the “Born Free” TV show in the ’60s. The snakes are named in the script – the 17-foot Burmese Python called “Kong” in the movie script is named “Kitty” in real life. You are what you eat, I suppose.

If you’re a hard-core “Snakes” fan, there’s even a puzzle book, “Snakes on a Sudoku.” If you’re a sudoku fan, you have to try these. Instead of squares, the puzzles have snake-shaped areas. You’ll love it.

They’ve done merchandizing out the wazoo. A music CD, a 2007 calendar. Hmmm, I haven’t bought a calendar yet. And don’t miss the official Snakes on a Plane Treo with the genuine snakeskin case.

I finally got around to seeing Heart of the Beholder.
The movie was very engaging. It follows Mike and Diane Howard from before the birth of their first child. Their hopes for a better life are realized when Mike’s gamble of opening a video store blossoms into a popular video store chain.
That’s where the problems begin. A local religious splinter group targets the Howard’s video store chain for offering blasphemous videos such as Tom Hanks’ “Splash“.
When Mike refuses to cave to their demands, their leader blackmails the DA into inventing charges against them. There are death threats against Mike’s little girl, and things get just plain ugly.
Eventually justice prevails, but it’;s too late. The weight of the legal expenses crushes the Howard’s dreams.
I don’t want to spoil it for you, but how the Howards get revenge is hilarious.
The movie won the Bluegrass International Film Festival “Director’s Choice Award” for Best Feature Film. Congratulations!
See previous entry.

Just found the web page for a new movie, Heart of the Beholder. It’s about a family-owned video store chain that is targeted by a religious cult for offering – supposedly – obscene videos. The story is true.
The main video they objected to was Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ“, a movie that was attacked by religious fanatics from the first day of filming. As I recall, the author of the original book was excommunicated for writing it.
But the cult also objected to some movies that I thought were pretty innocuous. Was there really beastiality in Tom Hanks’ “Splash“? I must have accidentally rented the PG version.
I don’t need anyone to tell me what movies I can and can’t see, much less someone from a completely different culture.

It’s rare that the powerless can beat the odds, but this film is Rocky versus the Religious Right, and the fight isn’t over till it’s over.

Sounds like a must-see.
Update: The movie played in St. Louis last month. Attendees included old Video Library employees and some of the folks involved in the original boycott. It seems that some of them have seen the error in their hurtful actions against the Tiptons.