Life or Pancakes?

Love this little exchange in the movie, Stranger Than Fiction, after Dr. Hilbert (played by Dustin Hoffman) has just told Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) that his impending death is inevitable so Harold should go and do some of the things he's always wanted to do until his certain demise takes him. Harold's first thought, of course, is that he wants to live.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Hell Harold, you could just eat nothing but pancakes if you wanted.

Harold Crick: What is wrong with you? Hey, I don't want to eat nothing but pancakes, I want to live! I mean, who in their right mind in a choice between pancakes and living chooses pancakes?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Harold, if you pause to think, you'd realize that that answer is inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led... and, of course, the quality of the pancakes.

Truth of the matter is, much of the time, I may as well be eating the pancakes. Now, I'm not saying that I, or anyone else for that matter, need to be running down a daily/weekly/monthly to-do list, and certainly not someone else's to-do list, to fulfill some nebulous life productivity requirement. That's just spinning wheels... well, a lot of the time it is. Often times, the right thing to do might be to... take a nap, complete a Sudoku, or be still and know that God Is. However, way too much of my time seems to be spent just making the hours go by until it's finally time to do that one thing I've been waiting to do. In the meantime, I miss so much.

There were several times when I was younger and even more recently, I promised myself, "I'm going to stop taking so much for granted. This is life. Live it." Broken promises. Some things, sure, I throw myself into - at least when I'm of that mindset. But there's always so much else i could be doing.

I always say I want to be writing novels, songs, shorts -- yet I'll go weeks without writing.

People I love and care for have asked me to pray diligently for them -- I'll go days or weeks without praying.

I want to fish more -- but I don't ever go fishing.

I've sworn I'm going to learn to play that guitar in my room -- but I hardly touch it.

I've got friends -- but they reach out to me far more than I reach to them.

I say "I love you, God" -- but keep Him at arm's length.

Now, I've gotten pretty good at some video games, and I can probably win a few television trivia contests. And please, quiz me on Dolphin football, Reds baseball, or Auburn sports. In and of themselves, all of those things are alright - and some uniquely part of me. But here's a confession - since I was divorced, I moved into a house in a neighborhood and have lived there almost two years... and I can't tell you the name of one other person (except the last names of the neighbors to my left because their name's on their mailbox and sometimes I get their mail) in the whole dad gum neighborhood. Well, maybe one or two of the kids - but that's it. We're to love our neighbors -- and everyone's our neighbors -- but hell, Rich, your neighbors are your neighbors!!!

That stack of pancakes is starting to look awful good.

In the end, I guess I can sum it up in a famous one-liner from another great movie:

Andy Dufresne: Get busy living, or get busy dying.

Sherlock Hemlock

Got an e-mail from the Diabolical Genius today. I've copied and will paste it:

Saw Sherlock Holmes movie. It was great. Highly recommend it.

Brief and to the point. That's our Ken!

Waitasec! Do I have the right picture here. Oh no. Wait. This is better. Here we go:


Edit: And this is why we love Ken! For his on-the-spot reviews!

On his word, I went and saw Sherlock Holmes last night, and I thought it was fantastic. Really enjoyed the interplay between Holmes and Watson. Rachel McAdams played Irene Adler very well. And the spin to make Holmes and Watson more physical instead of merely cerebral both modernized the characters and made for a more action-oriented film, which I enjoyed. Lastly, there was Holmes nemesis, Moriarty, lurking in the background for a possible sequel, and director Guy Ritchie did a swell job of keeping him in the background yet making him seem the most menacing and dangerous of all the villians.

So, two thumbs up for Sherlock Holmes from the guys at The Realm!

So... Avatar?

Most folks inhabiting The Realm have certainly heard tell or scene the previews of the upcoming Avatar movie. I believe it's out in theaters this weekend.

A synopsis (warning: some spoilers) from IMBD is here. A little bit more brief plot summary I pulled off the Web without the spoilers would be: a crippled ex-Marine is chosen to make contact with the mysterious people as a remotely controlled avatar.

James Cameron, writer and director of other sci-fi flicks such as The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Abyss, Aliens -- some of which I'd rate as classics -- writes, produces, and directs this film. And then, of course, he also is an Oscar winner for his efforts on Titanic. Early reviews for Avatar seem positive enough, and as far as special effects, there have been some reviews that are off the charts.

Personally, on one hand, this movie is one I'm somewhat looking forward to and certainly plan to see, but my expectations haven't been that high, for whatever reason. Back in the day, I sort of felt the same way about Aliens going into the movie, and lo and behold I was blown away, as Aliens is one of my all time favorite movies. One of the cool factors in Aliens was the characterizations of the marine outfit involved, and marines are used again in Avatar, so I've got a feeling Cameron will do well there. Also, I give high marks for the appearance of the alien race, the Na'vi, employed in Avatar.

Perhaps, I'm lost in my own world, but I just haven't heard the word of mouth at work, church, in the community, etc. on this film. Of course, I've seen a few promotionals and a trailer, but it's not like Spider-Man IV is coming out.

What about you guys and gals? What's the word you're hearing? And what are your thoughts on Avatar? Anyone dying to be there the first night? Anyone thinking, "I'll just skip this one"? I look forward to hearing anyone's thoughts on this one. I'd like to be psyched up!

Tearjerker Flicks

Alright, Lords and Ladies, for today, let's all get in touch with our feminine side. What are the movies that made you cry? It can be as a kid or an adult. However, if you're a person that's apt to let the rivers flow at any touching cinematic moment, then I only want to hear the ones where you were crying walking out of the theater... and then later on, whenever you thought of the movie or touching scenes, the water was falling once again. We're talking major league blubbering here.

Obviously, as this is a blog, everyone is more than welcome to expound on the scenes or parts of each movie listed that made them well up with tears. And just as painstakingly obvious, as this is a blog, anyone who would rather not expound, well, they're more than welcome to just list some movies... or lurk... whatever so pleases.

Brian's Song (pictured) and Where the Red Fern Grows were two movies, as a kid, I can remember just outright bawling when I watched. Even today, Brian's Song will get to me when I watch it. Also, I know Christians had both good and bad views of it, but I cried during Passion of the Christ. Really, though, I'm not a huge crier at movies, so it takes a bit. I'll try to remember a few more and list them in the comments.

Okay then, all you macho dudes "woman-up", and girls, I'm bracing myself for some Nicholas Sparks books-to-movies (rrrrreeeeeeetchhhhhhhhhh!!!). Make me cry!

Patrick Swayze Post Script

I was never a huge fan, but my mom, who is what I consider a typical female Oprah-watcher, liked him a lot and says he was a really good person. Others have made similar statements, so I'll go along with that. Think my mom even met his mother, who I believe owns or owned a dance studio. Of his movies, I saw The Outsiders, Red Dawn, Roadhouse, and Ghost, and then I saw one episode of The Beast on television. Never saw Dirty Dancing, Donnie Darko, To Wong Foo, or Point Break. None of the movies were classics, although I think The Outsiders and Ghost both had a bit of a following and Ghost was a pretty good movie. Roadhouse has taken a beating over the years, but I was entertained by that ol' Dalton in that one.

However, what I saw or thought is neither here nor there. Patrick Swayze was a figure most people knew, and, like Farrah Fawcett, his battle with cancer was pretty well publicized. People were pulling for him. So, if there are any thoughts you have about him and don't mind sharing, let us know.

Armond Joy's Got Nuts, Mounds Don't

Unbelievable. No, I take it back. Utterly predictable. Last Saturday, I blogged on the upcoming District 9. At that point, Rotten Tomatoes had ten reviews of the movie, all positive. Currently, the day before release, thirty-three critics have reviewed the flick, all positive... save one. Armond White. I almost hesitate to do this, but here's his review at the New York Press. The comments here, like the comments under his review at Rotten Tomatoes, are priceless.

Now, I haven't seen District 9 yet, and the majority of reviews come out tomorrow, so there's still time for the Certifiably Fresh rating of 97% to falter a ways. However, the Peter Jackson-produced, Neill Blomkamp-directed feature is almost sure to be reviewed well overall. And a good rule of thumb I've learned to go by is: if Armond White likes it, beware, if he hates it, go there!

Let's take a look, granted it's selective (and I'm trying to pick major motion pictures here, for the most part, rather than indies), at some of his reviewing record:

District 9
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra
Critical Consensus: Rotten Armond White: Fresh

Julie & Julia
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Funny People
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Public Enemies
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Critical Consensus: Rotten Armond White: Fresh

The Hangover
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Land of the Lost
Critical Consensus: Rotten Armond White: Fresh

Up
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Terminator: Salvation
Critical Consensus: Rotten Armond White: Fresh

Star Trek
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

State of Play
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Monsters Vs. Aliens
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

I Love You, Man
Critical Consensus: Fresh Armond White: Rotten

Have I gotten the point across yet? I could go on, but what good would that do? Seriously, you have to try to be contrary to go against the mass critical response this many times. I'm not saying I wouldn't agree with him on a movie or maybe two on this list, but c'mon!?! Are you kidding me? Up? Maybe it wasn't the best of the Pixar movies, but it was good, funny, and clever. Who wouldn't give that a thumbs up? There hasn't been a bad Harry Potter movie. People may not go out of choice, and some were better than others. But every Potter movie has been a good movie. Go look for yourselves. Bedtime Stories, Benjamin Button, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Gomorrah, The Wrestler, Gran Torino, Transporter 3, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, A Christmas Tale, Swing Vote, Hellboy II, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, The Wedding Director, War, Inc., What Happens in Vegas... he goes against the tide of critical review in every single one of these movies. Some of these movies were so good, who could think they were bad. Ever? In a million years?

Armond White.

Dawn Treader Not Treading Water Anymore

After several delays and a switch from Disney to Fox distribution, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has finally begun filming in Australia in the last few days. Walden's movie version of the next installment in C.S. Lewis' Narnia series has encountered some choppy waters but is slated for theaters December 10, 2010.

I love movies, books, AND C.S. Lewis! So, of course, I'm excited. If you love Narnia too, check out NarniaWeb.com. It contains several on-set pictures and continuing updates of casting news, script rumors, etc for the new movie.

Among other things, what we know so far is:

Michael Apted replaces Andrew Adamson as the Director

Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy will return as they should

Trumpkin and Dr. Cornelius will not return (It was rumored that they would return even though they aren't featured in the book)

Casting for Eustace, Lord Drinian and the missing Narnian Lords is being completed

Construction on the Dawn Treader itself is being completed and looks cool (see below)

Non-Humans Banned from Reading This Post!

Anyone else looking forward to District 9 coming out next Friday? A little bit about the plot and marketing campaign is contained at Wikipedia. The film's major selling point for me is that Peter Jackson, the director of the super LOTR epic trilogy, the executive producer and writer of the coming The Hobbit and The Hobbit 2, executive producer of the upcoming Halo movie, and writer/director of the latest King Kong, is producing it. District 9 is based on a short film, Alive in Joburg, and it will be directed by Neill Blomkamp, who wrote and directed the short.

Early returns at Rotten Tomatoes look good with 10 out of 10 positive reviews, but I say that with all caution. Last week, prior to G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra being released, that film also had a very positive 9 out of 10 fresh rating. After being released, it's now 38% fresh, in other words, rotten. On the imbd Official Review Thread, it's even more heartening, with 28 positive reviews, 1 mixed, and 0 negative.

I've enjoyed the trailers I've seen on TV, and the premise is very appealing to me. Being one of the last summer movies... well, that's a little disturbing. I don't think there are a lot of recognizable actors/actresses on this one, but that doesn't bother me. Regardless of the reviews, I plan on seeing this one -- not G.I. Joe, though. District 9 seems to have a little more to it, especially using South Africa, with it's Aparteid history, as the site where the aliens have been quarantined.

Got my fingers crossed. Anyone else have thoughts on this one?

Don't You Forget About Me

I'm late on this, but John Hughes died.
Director
Writer
Producer

The Breakfast Club
Sixteen Candles
Weird Science
Some Kind of Wonderful (wrote)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Home Alone (scripted)
Uncle Buck
Beethoven (wrote)
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Christmas Vacation (co-wrote)
Pretty in Pink (wrote)
She's Having a Baby
The Great Outdoors (wrote)
Curly Sue
Mr. Mom (wrote)

True difference-maker. Which American (and it goes further than America) in my generation wasn't affected by at least one of these movies?

Wow.

Ed. note: A tribute

Laugh Out Loud Movie Lines

Give me any laugh out loud movie or TV lines you can think up off the top of your head... or if any come to you later. Some of my favs:

1) Several in The Princess Bride
-- "Why are you smiling, then?" "I am not left-handed."
-- "You think you're smart?" "Let me put it to you this way... ever heard of Aristotle, Socrates, Plato?" "Yes." "Morons."
-- "My name in Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, now prepare to die." "Would you stop saying that?"
-- "What about the ROUSes?" "Rodents of unusual size? I don't believe they exist." CRASH!

2) In Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: "Those aren't pillows!"

3) A Fish Called Wanda, "Oh no! It's K-K-K-Ken c-c-coming to k-k-kill me."

4) Lots from Monty Python and the Holy Grail but I'll just list three
-- "One, two, five! No three!"
-- "Bravely bold Sir Robin rode forth from Camelot. He was not afraid to die, oh brave Sir Robin. He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways, brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin. He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp, or to have his eyes gouged out, and his elbows broken. To have his kneecaps split, and his body burned away, and his limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Sir Robin. His head smashed in and heart cut out, and his liver removed, and his bowels unplugged, and his nostrils raped and his bottom burned off and his penis... " "That's, uh, that's enough music for now, lads... looks like there's dirty work afoot."
-- "You only killed the bride's father, you know." "Well, I didn't mean to." "Didn't mean to? You put your sword right through his head." "Oh dear... is he all right?"

5) And then, this isn't a line from a movie, but it's a line from my younger of two sons that I had taken to Iron Man on the first day it opened with a packed theater. You might remember when Tony Stark starts a back and forth convo with the gorgeous reporter from Vanity Fair magazine. Next thing you know, they're rolling in the sack. Anyway, my son, Davis, seven at the time, yells out in the theater, "Dad, what are they doing?!" And the theater had been quiet, like it gets when folks are making out and about to do the deed. A bunch of folks around us just broke out laughing. All I said, which brought even more laughs, was "Wrestling, Davis! Now close your eyes!"

Okay, your turn!

Genesis of the Matrix

The Realm of Possibility contributor, Brett, sent this enlightening article entitled Robot Attacked Swedish Factory Worker. His comment was:

"This is how it starts... Our first step toward the Matrix."

Or, I might add, toward the Terminator series. This is fascinating stuff (bolding is my emphasis):

The incident took place in June 2007 at a factory in Bålsta, north of Stockholm, when the industrial worker was trying to carry out maintenance on a defective machine generally used to lift heavy rocks. Thinking he had cut off the power supply, the man approached the robot with no sense of trepidation.

But the robot suddenly came to life and grabbed a tight hold of the victim's head. The man succeeded in defending himself but not before suffering serious injuries.

"The man was very lucky. He broke four ribs and came close to losing his life," said Leif Johansson.

Whattayathink?

"I'll be baaaaack!"

Redemption in Elizabethtown

Most people, it seems, didn't like the movie Elizabethtown. Reviews were not good (27% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes), as I recall, and if you go through the blogsphere, you'll probably find more people that hated it than loved it. Bad-script, bad-diaglogue, and stale-performance glutton that I must be, I really enjoyed the movie, and more specifically, I loved the redemption aspect in the movie. For me, it brought to life a lot of the parallels of my own personal Christian journey, and I'd imagine it might resonate with some others (27% of our readership, maybe?) as well... if you can allow that Claire is the Christ-figure in the movie. Obviously, with a movie about a romance between a guy and a girl, this analogy won't be perfect, but it's works for me.


“Claire literally saves his life.” ~ Cameron Crowe, the movie's writer and director. "His life", here, refers to the life of the movie's protagonist, Drew Baylor, played by Orlando Bloom.


The beginning of the movie is where Baylor recognizes his sin. He states later that developing shoes is the only thing he knows how to do. Essentially, that's life for him. To wit, we receive this narrative epiphany by the lead character:



As somebody once said there's a difference between a failure and a fiasco. A failure is simply the non-presence of success. Any fool can accomplish failure. But a fiasco... a fiasco is a folktale told to others that makes other people feel more alive because it didn't happen to them.


A fiasco. In life, if I'm honest, that's what I am. A train wreck. We tell ourselves something else most of the time. Socially, who wants to show the truth? We walk around trying to act as if we have at least some of it together. If I grow up not messing up too many times, have a good career, a respected family, get my retirement in line, graduate my kids from college, go to church on Sundays, help out in the community when I have time, at the end of all this God's gonna invite me in, saying, "Welcome, My good and faithful servant." Another line in the movie, spoken by Claire, penetrates the real truth.


Do you ever just think 'I'm fooling everyone'? Drew Baylor's reply is honest. You have no idea.


The truth for many of us is so much different than the facade we put up. I verbally abuse my kids/my parents all.the.time. I spend every leisure minute playing video games or fishing or on the computer or watching TV, away from everyone else unless it's on my terms. I told one friend that my other friend was a loser, because I always want to make myself look and feel better. I cheated on my wife/husband/significant other. I want to skip church this Sunday... well, every Sunday. I hate my job. I don't have time or will to pray. I scammed the government on my taxes. I'm divorced. I'm a drunk. I physically abused my child. I read/looked at crap on the Internet. I stabbed my best friend in the back. I'm "living in sin." I hate my husband. I don't tithe or give to charity. I like taking drugs. I want a better everything. I want my neighbor's wife. I can't help lying. I can't help cussing. I want to be left alone. Or worse, I'm so much better than all the people who do any of the stuff on this list. We're a fiasco.


And if we can't come to the realization ourselves, at least we have helpful hands to lead us there. Family, friends, co-workers, church members, teammates, enemies, books, movies, the Bible... to get the Law portion of what we've done down. In Elizabethtown, Alec Baldwin, plays shoe guru and corporate exec Phil Devoss, who enlightens his protege on the realization that Drew's already come to:


How do I make the concept of $979 million dollars more real to you? It's the operating budget of a midsize country... a small civilization. It's big! It's so big you could round it off to a billion dollars.


The sin is a gap so big that it could never be made up, never be paid off. You're stuck with that legacy the rest of your life. And really, with a legacy like that, it's not only going to affect you, but it's going to affect your children and your children's children, down to the fourth generation, quite possibly.


The result of this horrifying realization is death, and that's just what Drew Baylor aims to do. Kill himself. However, just before he does exactly this, he's informed of another death, that of his father. When his sister calls him while he begins the act of suicide, Drew's informed, because his mom and sister are in such bad states, that he's the one who needs to carry out his father and family's wishes for cremation. So he avoids killing himself for the time being, but instead walks around like death warmed over.


However, on the way to Elizabethtown, his dad's hometown, he meets his redeemer, Claire Colburn, who happens to be an airline stewardess. At first, little does he know the effect she;ll have in his life, and really, he doesn't want anything to do with her. Nonetheless, she gives him some directions that he has a hard time following - and that seems true-to-life for me, at least for some, with our first encounters with Jesus.


Yet, through the movie, Claire and Drew get to know each other better. However, Drew can't tell her his deep, dark secret. Not until later in the movie after they've been intimate. The next morning, Claire's out the door after trying gently but unsuccessfully to rouse Drew, but he awakes soon afterward and realizes she's gone. He runs after her, and she turns to him with the open and welcoming smile of someone willing to save him, saying:


Just tell me you love me and get it over with.


Finally, though, he comes out with what he's been hiding:


Four days ago, I lost a major shoe company... frankly you could round it off to one billion dollars! And by tomorrow afternoon, everyone will know. Something's gonna be published that pinpoints me as the most spectacular failure in the history of my profession, which is all I know how to do. And I've been here this whole time trying to be responsible and charming and live up to this success that doesn't exist. I have a very dark appointment with destiny. That's my secret. That's who I am.


Drew states what I alluded to previously - we try to be responsible and charming, and we try to live up to a success that doesn't exist. Not to belittle sin, because Christ paid the ultimate price for it, but rather in the relational context, I think Claire's answer is perfect:


That's it?


The next exchange is funny, because here's it's where we think that God can't forgive us for this monumental sin or the monumental sinner we are, while He just wants us to love Him.


Drew: Yes, that's it.
Claire: I guess I just thought a small part of you might be a small bit sad to see me go. But I guess this is all mostly about a shoe.
Drew: Of course, I'm sad about you. But this is just a little bit bigger than you and me. And by the way, I didn't say million. I said billion. A billion dollars! That's a lot of million!
Claire: So you failed.
Drew: No, you don't get it.


It's like God's saying, "Love me, Rich." And I'm saying, "But God, I've done this. How could you ever love me. I did this. I'm a wreck." And God's replying, "Yep, you did that. You surely failed there, Rich. But I'll take your wreck, thank you. Love me anyway." "No God, wait!" I counter, "You still don't seem to get it." As laughable as I sound here, there's a lot of truth in this exchange - and I don't mean just once. This is recurring theater between God and me. So finally, as Claire says, God puts it in perspective:


So you failed. Alright you really failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You think I care about that? I do understand.


You have the Creator of the Universe, your Creator, right here, Rich, right in front of you, loving you enough to have died for you, knowing every last foible and flaw and all the grandiose, colossal fiascos you've had, have, and will have in your life. I love you, and I'm not going anywhere. Just tell me you love me and get it over with. Ah, grace. That's really the whole story right there.


At the end of the movie, after Drew's dad's ceremony has completed, Claire gives Drew a road map, with cassettes of her voice to help lead him along this time of wilderness and introspection. I love this part of the movie as Drew goes from place to place, seeing it, somewhat, through the eyes of his redeemer, and spreading his father's ashes at special places along the way. And then he comes to a reckoning place:


Here you have reached a fork in the map. You can go to your car and the rest of the directions will take you home. Or... look for a girl in a red hat who's waiting for you with an alternate plan.


Drew decides then and there that he's not going to try it his own way anymore. He'll thankfully go with the one who loves him. Because we're human, we know, even that doesn't make things perfect. Additionally, we also know that even if Drew did go the other way, God would have sought him or waited on him - He's saved him.


What an awesome God we have that loves us despite the fiasco. Loved us enough that He sent Himself, His Son, to the Cross for us. Boyoboy, do I need to remind myself of that over and over. Everything that we couldn't do, can't do, and never could do, He's done. That's a great love story.

Romance Schromance

{BUMP}

While romance might not be in the top one hundred and ten list of what I'm best at in this life, I have always been a sucker for romantic comedies. One of my favorite magazines out there, Paste, has it's list of the 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade.

I'm not sure of this list. No, wait. I am sure. I don't like it so much. Well, I like close to half of it.

Can we do better? How about it? What's your list of top romantic comedies this decade? And for that matter, let's go all the way. It is romance after all. Errr... umm... what I mean to say is...

What are your favorite romantic comedies of all time?

Kudos to Google and Superhero Hype

I thought the Google logo in response to Comic-Con 2009 was pretty neat. Plastic Man being the first "o" and "e"was pretty cool, as was Wonder Woman's invisible jet being the second "o". As big as a comic book fan as I am -- although sadly, I don't purchase them anymore -- going to a comic book convention has never even crossed my mind. It probably should. A lot of celebrities are going these days, especially Hollywood personalities pumping their movies. Not to mention one of my writing projects has includes a superhero character.


Speaking of comic books conventions and news of that ilk, our SuperHero Hype link on the sidebar usually gives the latest regarding the conventions as well as comic movies coming out, and I thought I'd give that site a plug (not that it's needed). For instance, they have this Jonah Hex banner on file, the movie starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. Also, the latest Iron Man II pix are in, like this one, two, and three. Scarlett Johannson, Don Cheadle, Garry Shandling, and Mickey Rourke add new faces to the movie that will thankfullybe directed by Jon Favreau, who did a superb job on the first feature. The Green Hornet, with Seth Rogen, was also at the Comic-Con showing off the Hornet's Black Beauty.

SuperHero Hype has all kinds of info, like release dates for upcoming Marvel movies, like Iron Man 2, Spider-Man 4, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers. What Christian Bale says on if there will be a follow-up to TDK. Which X-Men movie is next? Lots of stuff there.

Of course, if you like comics for the books themselves, you can always go straight to the source with Marvel or DC or Image or Dark Horse or the scores of other comic book home websites there are. But then, if you're a true believer, you already knew that.

There Can Be Only One!!

No, this isn't a post about the movie Highlander, though I'd heartily recommend that you see it if you've been living in a cave and haven't already. See it for the Queen soundtrack if for no other reason.

This is a post that was inspired by Rich's latest Faulkneresque post about tennis. Not sure if you've had a chance to read it all yet. (I drank a couple Red Bulls and still needed to work in a couple of power naps before I got all the way through it.) But mixed in amongst the riveting tennis play-by-play I gleaned the somewhat tragic tale of a competitor who is consistently shackled with second place.

Rich has historically referred to second place as "the first place loser". So color me a tad bit surprised that he sympathized (or dare I say empathized) with Andy Roddick's plight, if you can call making the Wimbledon finals a plight.

Usually, like battles between immortals, there can be only one winner. Unfortunately, this sage reminder is often shared by well-meaning friends while the battle wounds are still all too fresh to appreciate its truth and in any case does not take away the bitter disappointment. I'm fairly certain that Roddick took little solace in knowing that there are many who would have gladly taken his (second) place.

Still, I think there is a universality to the pain and groanings associated with coming up just short of reaching your goal even if the global interest for your specific endeavor would have been nil otherwise. We've all lost at something in our lives that we wanted badly to win, and misery loves company.

That brings me to the picture above and the documentary that it advertises. The guy on the right, Steve Wiebe, is each of us. He's the guy who's sick... I mean sick... of coming up just short. Life is dealing him body blows, and he needs to win at something... anything. He needs to know that he's not a failure. People can tell you all day long that you aren't a failure, but nothing changes your outlook quite like experiencing a victory. And Steve's desperation attempt at claiming his ever-elusive victory suddenly centers around his obsession with setting the all-time high score on the classic video game Donkey Kong.

You can watch trailers for The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters on the sidebar, but I highly recommend that you watch the entire documentary. Director Seth Gordon entertains you with the mullet and swagger of archrival Billy Mitchell (a real-life Uncle Rico) while slowly immersing you into Steve's POV. I found it to be extremely cathartic even though I was more of a Pitfall or Qbert kind of guy.

Try your hand at these and other classic arcade games online. By the way, Twin Galaxies, the official website for tracking all-time classic arcade records (which is referenced extensively in the movie) is also an interesting view.

The Wisdom of Ben Wade

Well, not really.

But the scripture-quoting, gang-leading thief and murderer in the Old West flick 3:10 to Yuma recited a dandy when he dropped Proverbs 21:2 out at the dinner table. Forgive me for being behind the times, but this little verse that basically summed up Wade's personal creed, and Byron McElroy's - the bounty hunter he aimed it at - for that matter, isn't one I should so easily dismiss.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. ~ Proverbs 21: 2

Boyoboy. I remember the first time I watched the movie a couple of years ago, and how that verse struck me in the theater.

It's certainly obvious to see how Wade wanted it to hit McElroy - and to put him into place in the context of their discussion and audience at the Evans' dinner table. Despite Wade's own use of the Bible as a weapon aimed at others -- a la Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, in Pulp Fiction, and there are certainly other examples -- he no doubt meant this verse as a personal self-condemnation as well. As a Bible verse used in a movie for tens of thousands to see, Wade's words are a large mirror at which we all can gaze.

People, people like me, make all these choices, decisions, acts, sentences, writings, etc. in this life for whatever reason we rationalize at that moment. We choose to do whatever it is we do, and then we live with ourselves and love ourselves. We're all misers and philanthopists. Chiefs and indians. Givers and takers. Lovers and leavers. Good-hearted and mean-spirited. All at different times. Others applaud us, and we take a bow. They hug us, and we feel warm inside. They yell at us, we bite back. We hurt them, and sometimes we admit we're sorry, while other times, we dig trenches. We make wretched mistakes along the way and either believe we were right or forgive ourselves and rock along merrily because that's how we roll. We love ourselves with a grandiose self-love. At times, we find it in us to love others.

I like what C.S Lewis said in Mere Christianity. It's from Book III, Chapter 4, "Morality and Psychoanalysis." He writes:

I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you , the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature...

For a guy who's made some decent choices and a boatload of bad ones, that's not a lot of comfort. It is, on the other hand, a pretty sobering message. Reminds me of the The Call's song, "I Don't Wanna", where Michael Been's lyrics almost shout - I can only hope that I can see, out beyond the skin that covers me... Too often (and here, the word "too" means: most, most, most of the time), I don't. Seems like it'd be easy if I really loved God and loved others... really, really loved Him and them. Somehow, that equation, m(G + O) = C [where m is me, G is Loving God, O = Loving Others, and C adds up to Good Choices], doesn't always come out right. There's a glitch in the m variable. Once I got to calculus, mathematics never did make that much sense. I was always better at English and Literature.

Which is why I'm on a blog quoting Ben Wade and not Blaise Pascal.

Blank on a Blank

A coworker recently decided to get his jollies by having Samuel L. Jackson call people and tell them to go see the movie "Snakes on a Plane". Apparently you can do this pretty easily from the movie's website.

Anyway, it got a discussion started about how this movie may be breaking ground for a whole new genre of books and movies. The "Blank on/in/under/etc a Blank" genre. It's like million dollar Madlibs, and it's as easy as popping up a bag microwave popcorn to sell for 8 bucks.

Just pick two objects, your preposition of choice, add in a marginal acting talent, a smattering of extras, bake at 350, and then market the heck out of it.

Brilliant!! And there are so many potential combinations that you don't even have to worry about someone stealing your idea and beating you to the punch. And if they do, just swap out one of your three ingredients and you're golden again.

Some of our ideas so far:

Dingos in a Dirigible
Chiggers (Red Bugs for you non-southerners) in a Shopping Mall
Sabre-tooths at a Cheerleading Camp
Cheese with a Commode
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (doh! That one has been done)
Ferrets on a Ferris Wheel
Poop in a Punchbowl and a Swimming Pool
Post-hole diggers on a see-saw
Planes over a Snake

I'm sure that there are some obvious omissions. Give me yours (at least the PG-rated ones).

Who knows? Maybe Mark Hamill or Kevin Costner will be giving folks a ring to pimp your flick in two shakes of rattlesnake. Oooh! Snakes in a shake.

Movie Tag, You're It!

How well do you guys know your movie tag lines? Heck, how well do I know them? Tag lines are at the top or bottom of movie posters -- as opposed to movie slogans, such as "I'll be back!" from Terminator. Here's a quiz I got from this site, and quoting from it, here's what it says about tag lines and the quiz:

Taglines appear at the bottom of movie posters and in movie trailers. Taglines can sell the premise of a film, they can tease you with excitement, sex, violence, and scares, or they can just be funny. Collected below are the the famous and infamous, the funniest, and most groan-inducing taglines Hollywood ever wrote.

(Obviously, you can go to the site and cheat, but why not test yourself against the rest of The Realm to see who is the movie tag line king or queen? And, sadly, we'll also find out who the movie tag line joker is as well.)

Update: Since I don't grade on a curve and all The Realm denizens seemed to be failing, maybe I tested too hard - sorry Millie, since you've already looked. So now I'm including some hints.

1) A comedy about fear of commitment, hating your job, falling in love and other pop favorites. Hint: Top 5 lists

2) A Masterpiece Of Modern Horror Hint: Red rum

3) A nervous romance. Hint: A neurotic, New Yorkian director

4) A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood. Hint: Listed as a favorite comedy on my Side-splitter post

5) All his life, Ray Kinsella was searching for his dreams. Then one day, his dreams came looking for him. Hint: Sports movie

6) Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning? Hint: High maintenance Meg

7) Coming To Save The World This Summer. Hint: Ernie Hudson

8) Don't Go in the Water Hint: Dun-dun-dun-dunt... Dun-dun-dun-dunt... Dunt-ta-Dunt-ta Dunt-ta, Dunt-ta... DUN!

9) Ever wanted to be someone else? Now you can. Hint: A second John Cusack movie on this list so far

10) Everyone has one special thing. Hint: Markie Mark

11) Family Isn't A Word... It's A Sentence. Hint: Royalty

12) Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free. Hint: "Brooks was here." then "Red was here."

13) Five Criminals. One Line Up. No Coincidence. Hint: codepoke's comment

14) Five Total Strangers Team Up For The Perfect Crime.They Don't Know Each Other's Name. But They've Got Each Other's Number Hint: Tarantino

15) He is afraid. He is alone. He is three million light years from home. Hint: Ow-oooch

16) He Saw The World In A Way No One Could Have Imagined. Hint: Jennifer Connelly was in it.

17) His whole life was a million-to-one shot! Hint: A. Creed

18) How the future began. Hint: T.. R.... S....

19) In space no one can hear you scream. Hint: Dallas, Parker, Brett, c'mon this one's too easy

20) In Vietnam The Wind Doesn't Blow. It Sucks. Hint: War movie that's not Platoon

21) It's the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can... Hint: Mars Blackman

22) Just because they serve you doesn't mean they Like you. Hint: 16 year olds' minimum pay gig

23) Leisure Rules Hint: Ben Stein's first movie

24) Love Kills Hint: S & N

25) Man is The Warmest Place to Hide. Hint: Kurt Russell Sci-Fi

26) Mischief. Mayhem. Soap. Hint: Brad Pitt

27) Never give a saga an even break! Hint: Mel Brooks

28) Never let her out of your sight. Never let your guard down. Never fall in love. Hint: Cheesy songstress. Cheesy actor.

29) No One Gets Away Clean Hint: Don Cheadle's in it

30) Not every gift is a blessing. Hint: I See Dead People (there's a gimme now)

31) On The Air. Unaware. Hint: Not The Mask

32) Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now, he's writing to stay alive. Hint: Bates

33) Tea At Four. Dinner At Eight. Murder At Midnight. Hint: Dame Maggie Smith

34) The Day We Fight Back Hint: Firecrackers

35) The first casualty of war is innocence. Hint: _____, Halt!

36) The greatest fairy tale never told. Hint: Farquaad

37) The Man... The Music... The Madness... The Murder... The Motion Picture... Hint: Falco

38) The most devastating detective story of the century! Hint: Bob Woodward

39) The Story That Won't Go Away Hint: Magic bullet

40) The Ultimate Trip. Hint: This date and its journey has come and gone

41) They have a plan, but not a clue. Hint: Clooney

42) They stole his mind, now he wants it back. Hint: Governor of California

43) They're young... they're in love... and they kill people. Hint: They're outlaws

44) This time it's war Hint: Believe It or Not

45) We are not alone Hint: Which kind?

46) We could tell you what it's about. But then, of course, we'd have to kill you. Hint: Poitier

47) You Won't Believe Your Eye. Hint: Mike

48) In The Game Of Seduction, There Is Only One Rule: Never Fall In Love Hint: Dangerous Liasons of the Teenage Kind

49) This Summer, Evil Meets It's Moose. Hint: Boris & Natasha

50) If you see only one movie this summer, see Star Wars. But if you see two movies this summer, see... Hint: SNL

51) Be afraid. Be very afraid. Hint: Goldblum

52) Be Unafraid. Be Very Unafraid. Hint: Snadler's imp

53) Be Afraid. Be Kind of Afraid. Hint: Right Raggy

54) It's 4 A.M., do you know where your car is? Hint: Harry Dean Stanton

That's it. Just 54 of them, but at least it's enough for everyone to get at least some of them. I don't think anyone will get them all. Some of them are a little obscure, but most of them are movies you're probably aware of. Also, which one do you think is the best of all these, and which one is the MOST groan-inducing. Put all your answers in the comments so we can see just how movie-smart you are.

Have fun!

"X" vs. "S"

Now that the promos for the first of the biggies are out, it's time to make the official call on which Summer of 2006 superhero movie we're looking forward to more.

In the left corner, we have the third installment of Marvel's most successful superhero team. The first two movies of the series, albeit under director Bryan Singer (now the director of the competition), were major successes, and along with the Spider-Man movies helped revolutionize the superhero movie genre. In this, the third episode, we have a mutant antibody -- a "cure" for the gene that evolves humans into mutants, a human-mutant war waged by Magneto, not to mention the Dark Phoenix saga to which the former movie alluded. That's right ladies and gentleman, we have the defending champion of the superhero-team movies: X-Men III: The Last Stand!

Facing off against the Juggernaut (pun intended -- cue laughter) is the return of a series of successful and unsuccessful films from the 70s and 80s featuring the most notable superhero of all-time. The granddaddy of all superheroes. With an all new cast, but many of our same favorite characters, one of the best supervillians ever created (played by an Academy Award winner), and a mystery actor (we know his name but can he act?) playing the lead much like the man cast in the first of the series oh so long ago, we have the Number # 1-ranked challenger pitting the Man of Steel once more against his longtime nemesis Lex Luthor, the one the only: Superman Returns!

Locked in a cage here in The Realm of Possibility, only one can come out the survivor. Which of these two Colossuses (again, pun intended -- recue laughter) will reign supreme in The Realm?

You can only choose one. Which one are you going to see?

All the drama will be played out in the comments section. We have Oscar winners on both sides. The Big 2 in comic-bookdom, Marvel vs. DC. Awesome villians. The old X-Men director now directing the challenger, and the new X-Men director striving to show he can play with the big boys. Compelling heroes. Special effects buffs' delight. War and peace. Right and wrong. Truth, justice, and the American way. We have it all folks, right here in The Realm. Cast your votes and make your call the winner. Who's it going to be?

The X-Men or Superman?

Reality blogging at it's best!

Cinematic Side-splitters

What movies, when you first saw them, had parts in them so funny that you laughed so hard you cried (or something close to it)? Here's a short list for me, although I'm sure I'll think of more and list them in the comments if I do?

My Cousin Vinny
The Naked Gun
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Ruthless People

These aren't necessarily my favorite comedies, because if I was asking for that, I'd be listing other stuff like Fletch, Murder By Death (which is probably close to being on this list for me - sometimes, I'm just in a mood), and maybe even some romantic comedies that I'm not brave enough to name in public at this point.

SO!!!!! What are some movies that almost made you wet your pants they had scenes that were so hilarious?