Queue Tips: A bit of Jeeves and Wooster

For a while after Christmastime, my younger son and I had been watching "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" before bedtime.  I'm not sure how I ended up selecting that show.  It might have been after watching "Blackadder's Christmas Carol", which has both Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in it.  We watch that special a lot during the holidays.  I might have also been reading about how good Hugh Laurie's American accent was in "House", and went into a rabbit hole of all the shows he's been in.

Or, it could have been after watching "The Young Ones", in which Hugh Laurie had been a guest.  I think I ended up watching specials on Ben Elton and the Cambridge Footlights.  I think Hugh was also in an episode of "Filthy Rich & Catflap", and I think it made me want to see more of their comedy.

Anyways, my older one reminds me that apparently I had played the first episode of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" while we were doing the Christmas tree.  I don't think this was when we were putting it up.  We immediately took down the lights right after Three Kings Day, so this must have been early January.

I admit I let Dusty stay up past his bedtime to watch the show.  I told him it was all right as long as he was able to wake up on time and eat breakfast in the morning.  And for the most part, he did.  It was also a nice bonding moment for us.  We ended up with a lot of inside jokes and references, like "Soupy Twist!"

Once we got through the entire series, around February I put on "Jeeves and Wooster".  I didn't know anything about it, except that both Fry and Laurie were in it.  I was a bit disappointed at first because I had expected another hilarious over-the-top laugh out loud show, but it turned out to be a more subtle situational comedy.  Surprisingly, little Dusty was into it.  He was mostly quiet, but he never wanted to miss a moment.

The dialogue can be verbose, with kind of a complex vocabulary from time to time.  But he still seemed to get it.  He would ask sometimes what a word or phrase means.  He liked the theme song and would sometimes do a little dance to it.  When the end credits came on with the song, he would want to watch it all the way through the end.  Sometimes, we would say "What ho!" to each other, and at some point he kept singing "Sonny Boy".

There were some nights when I was so tired that I would doze off and miss it but he still stayed up with full attention.  During the day when he is off to school, I would try to catch up and rewatch the episode.  Not that I necessarily remembered.  And some days are so busy that I could barely retain what was going on.  There were times when I would have to rewind multiple times to understand the plot.

It's funny though that in the last couple of seasons, the show was set in New York City.  One of the things I like about the British shows is their accents, but in these episodes, it seems to be British actors pretending to have American accents.  Maybe I'm just me, but it's kind of obvious.  They're doing their best, of course, but it sounds a bit amusing to me.  Also, some of the word usage is not how an American would speak, I think.  They would be a bit more of a plain English.

Anyways, we got to the end of "Jeeves and Wooster" recently, and it kind of makes me sad.  A lot of things make me sad.  Now he is asking to watch "Malcolm in the Middle" next.  Totally unrelated, but he likes that show, too, and has seen some of the later season episodes.  I'm considering it.  But maybe I'll just let him sleep earlier instead.

Queue Tips: I want some, too.

I think I may have written about "Everybody Wants Some!!" already before.  It was a pleasant surprise and gave me a really good vibe.  I don't think I knew that it was directed by Richard Linklater and just got that same feeling I got when watching some of his movies.  I then watched it pretty much over and over.  Not on purpose, but it was just like, okay let me play it again.  And then again.  And again.

A couple of days ago, my wife brought my younger son to hockey practice, so I was at home with my older one.  He is fifteen going on sixteen.  Lately he has usually been sitting on the couch doing his homework.  When procrastinating, he would play some music loud on his laptop while scrolling through his phone.

I remembered that it's March already and our Christmas tree was still up.  We took down the lights immediately in January after Three Kings Day.  I usually disassemble the tree and wrap them in garbage bags and then tape the garbage bags tight so they would all fit in the original box they came in.  Only I didn't have tape at the time, or I didn't look hard enough to find them.  I then found them later a few weeks ago but didn't get around to it.

Usually when we put up the tree or take them down, I would play a movie on my laptop.  And then I would just place a camera in the corner of the room and record.  At some point months or years later when I have time, I would edit it and fast forward to kind of make it look like a time lapse.  It takes time because it could be a couple of hours of footage at least.

Anyways, I finally decided Tuesday night that it was time to take it down.  I had had "Everybody Wants Some!!" on the queue for a while now.  I had been avoiding watching it because I know I'll be watching it over and over again.  I just did the same thing with "Dazed and Confused" recently, also written and directed by Linklater.  I did so after watching the "Making Dazed" documentary.  I also ended up reading his diary about the movie, as well as the script.

So even though Rusty already had a couple of devices going in the living room, I plopped down my laptop on the couch and started the movie.  He didn't say anything or looked annoyed or anything.  He just kind of slowly shifted his attention after hearing some of the dialogue and music.  He eventually stopped going through his phone and just sat there watching while I took the tree down and packed it.

When I was done with the tree, I put it aside.  I was glad that he was starting to get into the movie.  I sat next to him and made a ham sandwich with no cheese and started eating.  I figured my son would like it, especially being that it's a movie about athletes, which Rusty himself is.  It's about college baseball players, and I kind of hope my son can have the same kind of experience playing sports in college.  It would be hockey for him, of course.

Rusty enjoyed it.  He laughed and made comments out loud to no one in particular.  But when Willoughby is called over by the coach and goes off, he asked me directly, "What happened to Willoughby?"  I just said, "We'll find out."

There were some almost uncomfortable moments because it's about guys trying to get laid for most of the movie.  But we were seated at an angle where we didn't have to see each other eye to eye.  That hit me in the beginning of the movie that there were going to be those kinds of scenes, but then I remembered I had seen worse than what was in this movie when I was sixteen.  But then again, I didn't watch those movies with my dad.  I mostly watched them alone.

Around the middle, Rusty asked, "What's this movie called?"  He did grab his phone a couple of times here and there.  I wonder if he was texting someone and telling him what he was doing.  But I didn't pry.

About three fourths of the way, he got up to get something to eat.  I asked if he wanted me to pause it and he said no.  The kitchen wasn't that far, so he could still kind of hear it.  And then he came back pretty quickly and didn't miss much.

At the end, when the couple was kissing in public, he said, "His friends are watching them, aren't they?"  And he was right.  He laughed when they started razzing the main character Jake and teasing him.  Then when it ended a few minutes later, Rusty said, "That's it?"  I said, "Yes".  I asked him if he liked it, and he said yes.

And then there was a post credits scene where the characters sing in a minimized screen next to the credits.  I noticed Rusty leaning in to get a closer look.  When it finally finished, he said, "That song took a little too long."  Or something like that.  I said, "Well, they have to make it fit to the credits".

And with pretty perfect timing, my younger one Dusty and my wife came home.  The garage door opened around when the credits started rolling.  They stayed down in the den area because he has to take his gear out of the bag and let them dry overnight.  When they came upstairs, the movie was done.

I then asked Rusty why he wasn't doing homework.  I noticed him glancing at his laptop from time to time.  I asked if he had to wait and check for assignments to pop up or something.  They said, no, he was just procrastinating.  I said something like, "So it's totally my fault you didn't do homework, right?  If I didn't put on that movie, you would have been totally on it."  He said yes, jokingly.

Rinky-Dinky, Stinky and Dumb

My younger son Dusty watches this show all the time on the tablet.  He turns it after school while doing homework.  Sometimes he has it on while he's playing in the living room or his bedroom.  Sometimes the tablet is on a step stool by the tub when he is taking a bath.  And sometimes you can hear the show when he is in the bathroom with the door closed.

I forget the actual name of the show, but without googalizing, I'm guessing it is "Ricky, Nicky, Dicky and Dawn".  I could be wrong.  It is apparently a Nickelodeon show from over ten years ago already.  Again, I could be wrong.  When I first noticed it a year or so ago, I asked him what he was watching and he told me.  Now, every time I walk by and see or hear the show (mostly hear), I ask him, "Is that Rinky-Dinky, Stinky and Dumb?!"  And he just looks up and smiles and says, "Yup!"

Dusty is pretty good about being teased.  He can take a joke very well.  Almost too well sometimes.  Too self deprecating at some points.  When you tease him he would agree that he is stupid or ugly.  In a fun way.  Don't get me wrong.  But sometimes I would have to tell him I don't like him making fun of himself like that.

I wasn't like that with Rusty, my older one.  I was always too careful about hurting his feelings, so I never even teased him about his looks or personality.  I would have never teased him about being ugly or stupid.  Maybe I should have a little bit.  I think it might have backfired a bit in that it turned him into being too sensitive.  When his friends would tease him, he tended to overreact at a younger age.  Even now when he ribs his little brother and his little brother teases him back, he can snap at some points.

It didn't help that he lost all his baby front teeth at an early age and had some trouble pronouncing words.  His best friend at the time could be a little mean and when stuck in a corner he would bring up Rusty's teeth to put him down.  And he didn't really take it well.  

That's one of my regrets as a parent, not taking care of baby Rusty's teeth better.  But I was young and didn't think much about baby teeth.  I used to enjoy watching him bite hard on an apple and chew.  I liked seeing him growing and eating solid food.  And then not long after that, he ended up losing them.  I was stupid.  And I apologized to him a lot about that.  He said it was all right, and I hope he means it.

A show that baby Rusty used to enjoy was "Dinosaur Train".  Back when he was a toddler, I would kinda tease the show a little in my mind.  When Mr. Conductor says, "All Aboard!"  In my head, I would think, "We all are bored!"  Funny, right?  I wasn't actually bored, though.  It was a great show, but I was just teasin'.  But I never uttered it out loud around baby Rusty because I didn't want him to get offended.

Fast forward many years later.  For a few weeks now, I would put on "Dinosaur Train" for little Dusty.  Every morning before school we would watch it.  It helps motivate him to get out of bed, I think.  Anyways, with this kid, I just would freely yell out, "We all are bored!"  And he would just go along with it.  

There was one weekend when we lazily stayed in bed and watched a bunch of episodes for a few hours.  I asked Rusty if he wanted to join us, and he took a pass.  Dusty talked to him about the show at some point, and they discussed it.  I thought that was cool that Rusty still remembered.  I think it was about the valley of the stygimolochs.  Dusty and I called them the stinky bollocks.  Funny, right?

Anyways, lots to wonder about.  I wonder if Rusty would have been more extroverted and outgoing if I hadn't been too protective of him.  Maybe if I had ribbed him a bit more from time to time.  And maybe if I wasn't always too strict and lightened up a little bit.

Every time, Dusty does something, and I respond to it patiently and kindly, there is always a bit of sadness for me because I always ask myself, why wasn't I this patient and kind with Rusty?  Not that I was horrible necessarily, but like, when he would have incomplete schoolwork, for example, I would be on his case right away, and I just added to the pressure. 

These days, I am better with Rusty.  He is a teenager now, and I feel like we have a pretty great relationship.  I give him his space when he needs it.  I always give him a hug and tell him I love him before he goes to school in the morning.  When he forgets his chores, I don't yell at him but instead give him a sarcastic, "Thank you, great job".  And he says, "You're welcome" back to me.  And then eventually he does it.

One time, Dusty and I came home after a long day at the hockey rink.  I was starving the whole time.  I told him to get something to eat because we hadn't had lunch yet.  There were these tiny hot dogs on the kitchen counter, and I just absent-mindedly at it and then went down to my office.  A few minutes later, Dusty comes down and asks, "Dad, did you eat all the hot dogs?!"  That was when I realized I screwed up.  I said yes and that they were all gone, and I asked him if he wanted me to make him sausages.  He said no and just quietly walked upstairs.

I followed him up and found him sitting on a chair by the window with tears on his eyes.  He is a very fun-loving kid and doesn't cry much.  I picked him up and gave him a hug, and that's when he really let it all out and bawled and said he wanted to eat the hot dogs.  I squeezed him tight and said, "I'm sorry".  I told him I thought there was more, but the truth is I wasn't even thinking.  He said it was all right, and I think it made him feel better that I apologized.  

I was sad that I did that to him.  But I was even sadder because there had been similar moments like that when Rusty was younger when instead of just apologizing, I ended up getting defensive.  I can't take back what I did and what I didn't do, but I hope I have improved since then.  As a parent, though, I admit I was sometimes rinky-dinky, stinky and dumb.

More on Voltes Five Legacy

Dusty and I did find a couple of episodes of "Voltes Five Legacy" on YouTube somewhere.  They seemed to be edited though.  They were about 22 minutes when I believe the actual show fits in a one hour time slot.  It was like episode 32 or something, so we just kind of jumped into the middle of it.  It didn't matter that much though because Dusty doesn't understand Tagalog anyway.  

This was the episode where the machines were trying to volt in to form into the robot fighter and the enemy bad guy interrupted them.  He was a little frustrated because he loves the music but then it stopped.  It might have been the first time I've seen the robot half volted.  I think it was the three top parts put together, while the two bottom parts were still away.  Or maybe I'm mixing it all up.  Not sure.

We searched a little bit more and then we found these full episodes with Spanish subtitles and the Tagalog audio a little out of sync.  It was a bit odd to watch, but Dusty didn't seem to mind.  They were around fortyish minutes, if I remember correctly.  But for me, it seemed to be a lot of filler.  Scenes were being prolonged a lot, and it was awkward to watch.  Kind of reminded me of those talk shows and reality shows in the early 2000s when they would keep holding on characters' faces and reactions for suspense.

The beginning was interesting in that they tried to make the character introductions similar to the cartoon.  They had Jamie climbing on the trees and everything, and Big Bert was doing his fighting thing with the stick.  In the cartoon, they had Little John diving underwater and fighting a shark, but in the live action show, he was just swimming with a dolphin.  Close enough.

I didn't like that they introduced the bad guys first.  I would have shown the lead characters doing their normal things, and then you find out they're not living normal lives because they are actually doing a lot of training, but we don't know what for.  They should have an idea of how to fly the machines already, and it would be odd for a young child that Little John is being trusted to handle this.  And then that's when we learn about the existence of the Boazanians.  Eventually we realize that that is what they are preparing for.

It would have been cool to see what all five are actually doing when they have volted in.  Is it just the main guy Steve taking full control of the robot fighter?  Do they need all five moving gears and stuff together to move?  If so, how do they coordinate?  If one of them gets knocked out or incapacitated somehow, will someone have to take over those responsibilities?  Interestingly, in the cartoon, they did have gears and handles but in the live action show, it seems to be more of just buttons.

If they are not all needed to move the robot fighter together, we should see someone monitoring their energy levels, or their shields or something like that.  When they have the close up of the characters, the live action show has the image of the robot fighter super imposed, and it just kinda rotates.  It would have been cool if it showed how Voltes Five was actually positioned and moving.

Also, one thing that would have been cool for me is if they had little trinkets or toys and stuff in their seating area.  Just like people do in their office.  Maybe a picture of their father and mother.  Maybe some snacks to munch on from time to time.  Or water.  I mean, don't they need to hydrate?

Queue Tips: Voltes Five Legacy

Apparently, there is a live action version of "Voltes Five".  It was produced in the Philippines, and they actually show it in Japan also.  So, to me that is a Japanese cartoon that was dubbed in English and shown in the Philippines, and now it is a live action show in Tagalog that is dubbed in Japanese and shown in Japan, and I found the trailer for it while sitting in my office in America.

"Voltes Five" was a show that I remember watching when I was a child in my little small town in the Philippines.  Or trying to watch anyway.  Most of the time I can recall dealing with static on TV.  I can't distinctly remember scenes of plot lines, but I do remember the five machines forming into one robot.  "Voltron" was another show like this, but for some reason, I kind of remember liking "Voltes Five" more.  Not exactly sure why.  And Voltron is pretty cool, because their five machines were shaped like lions.

I hadn't seen any of it since I left my home country.  But about five years ago, I bumped into some episodes on the internet archive.  I took a quick glance at them, and then as soon as I could, I let my son Rusty watch it.  He was about five or six years old at the time.  It was actually a really cool experience that I wish I got on video.  (I take a ton of videos, but somehow it feels like I don't take enough.)

Anyways, he was just sitting quietly and watching as they introduced the main characters.  They were training and stuff.  And then they were told of their mission.  And then they flew their machines.  And then...  "Let's volt in!"  And the five machines volted in to the awesome robot fighter Voltes Five.  Rusty stood up and yelled, "Cool!"  Or something like that.  He was super excited.  

I watched a little bit more with him and then let him keep watching.  I was fairly busy at that time, so I would often take home work.  So after the first few episodes, I let him watch by himself.  He quickly got through the entire run of episodes in a matter of days.

I kind of started rewatching random episodes a few weeks ago.  It hadn't occurred to me how said it actually was.  I mean, the end theme song itself gives that away.  The story begins with the main characters' father going missing.  And then at some point, I believe their mother dies and they are orphaned.  And then there were episodes when they were seemingly reunited with their father, but it wasn't so.  And I never thought about how that might have affected Rusty.  The kid absolutely adored me at that age, and I wondered if the thought of losing me might have bothered him.  I just kind of thought that this was just a cool action cartoon.  But it can be profoundly sad.  Since finishing the series, he hasn't really asked to see it again.  And it's been years.

He saw bits and pieces of the show again recently, and he only commented that he didn't like the voices, especially Zuhl.  I was okay with most of them, but yeah there were some voices that were amateurish.  The voice of the kid was especially comical.

I did enjoy the thick filipino accents though.  I think they were doing their best, but it still amuses me.  It's hard to explain but I'm not putting them down.  I just like them for who they are.

Anyways, as for my younger one, Dusty, well he did catch some glimpses of that original show.  He also enjoys watching them volt in.  That upbeat song is what really makes it work.  He did wonder though, what the bad guy beast fighter robot was doing the whole time they were volting in.  Interestingly enough, in the new "Voltes Five Legacy" series, they actually have an episode where the bad guy attacks them while trying to volt in and they couldn't get together to form into a robot fighter.

Dusty like the new show, even though he doesn't understand Tagalog.  They do insert some English phrases, and sometimes that helps him get some context on the scene.  He thinks the effects are pretty cool.  

But this post isn't really a queue tip.  Not sure where you can find this show.  There are bits and pieces on the GMA Network's YouTube channel.  And then when I checked out their website, it said it wasn't available in my location.  That'w why he hasn't really watched full episodes.  But I think that's a good thing because it's just too sad.

Queue Tips: The Comedian (2016)

Apparently, "The Comedian" is not the sequel to "The King of Comedy".  Both films do star Robert De Niro though.  It was not directed by Martin Scorsese, but by Taylor Hackford, who I don't think is really known for comedy.  Actually, neither of them are, I think.  In any case, he didn't write it, and there are plenty of funny materials from the screenplays.  There are many comedians appearing in the film, and I would guess they brought their own material, as well as improvised.

I thought this was a fun watch.  I found myself smiling a lot and just enjoying the film.  There are, of course, plenty of laughs here and there.  Nonetheless, you can argue that it is not necessarily a comedy movie, much like you can say "The Wrestler" is not a wrestling movie or "Black Swan" is not a ballet movie.  Without knowing anything about this movie, I actually thought this might have been directed by Darren Aronofsky, actually.

There are a couple of cringe things here though for me.  In the beginning, there is a character who is making viral videos.  They were just a bit too obvious or overplaying it a bit.  We see that one of them is holding their phone in one of those phone holder thingies.  Supposedly they have a popular channel and they have been doing this for a while.  How many times do you have to day, "Are you recording this?  Are you getting this?"  It's like, hey audience, look, do you get it that we are doing all this just for the content?  Too on the nose, I guess.

Later on, there is another video of the comedian going viral.  His act is manipulated and edited into a music video.  I thought the raw content itself was interesting enough to spread widely on its own.  I don't know.  Maybe they were trying to make a point that the lamer it is, the more popular it gets or that it gets more lamer as it gets more popular.  Maybe.

I wrote yesterday about the age difference in "Licorice Pizza" and "Parasite".  Those relationships were between minors and young adults.  Well, there is an age gap in this film, as well.  This time it's between a middle aged woman and a senior man.  It's still cringey to me though.  I wonder if the original script was for a younger protagonist and if maybe they changed it when they cast the lead actor.  Nonetheless, it made for an interesting dynamic, especially when they ended up having to deal with an adult problem later on.  

I liked seeing all the different comedians.  I didn't know all of them, especially the younger ones.  It was nice seeing the sort of behind the scenes glimpses and how they interact with each other, how they give and take.  It made me want to go to comedy clubs and experience the fun atmosphere.  The only thing though, is I know it's not always like that.  I wouldn't want to spend my time and money to watch someone bomb or to hear lame jokes.  And what I see a lot right now on social media is crowd work.  That's also cringey to me.  I mean, just come up with some good material and deliver.

I also didn't see a lot of bad jokes.  I can't remember which film or show or maybe documentary I saw, but from what I gathered, you hear a lot of lame jokes around comedians.  You kind of how to get through all that to get to the good stuff.  But the protagonist in this movie is supposed to be quick witted and fast, so maybe he just had a natural talent for being funny.

Well, I just googalized and wikified it, and I'm surprised this movie was poorly reviewed.  I actually thought it was pretty good, almost great.  I also saw that they actually wanted Scorsese to direct it.  Not sure about that.  I think Aronofsky would have been great, but I thought Hackford did a fairly good job.  I think someday people will reevaluate this and find it's not that bad. 

Queue Tips: Rock it, man.

What was the point of making the movie "Rocketman"?  I mean, it's just a bunch of Elton John songs set to some random images.  Like, why not just listen to his songs and close your eyes.  It would be a better experience.  Instead, you're watching someone pretending to be him while hearing bits and pieces of his music.

And it's not like he wrote all the songs by himself.  He had a songwriting partner for most, if not all, of it.  So for me, it doesn't really feel like those songs were that personal for him.  And when you listen to songs, they have certain meanings to the audience.  You may not totally understand what they are about, but they do evoke certain emotions or memories.  When you watch music videos, the visualizations they present take over and it means less of what it used to mean for you before.

I think there's a problem when celebrities are involved in creating their own biopics.  Obviously, they are going to want to approve how they are portrayed.  I thought this film was fairly bland.  Just like "Bohemian Rhapsody", it didn't really add much to discovering the subject of the story.  You're better off just reading a Wikipedia article, and you end up learning more.

What were the inspiration for the songs?  I don't know.  They were not even in chronological order.  (As far as I know.  I'm not a huge fan though.).  What did this movie offer to anyone who didn't already know Elton John?  If I was directing a biopic, I would approach it in that way, as though the audience never heard of him and then explain who he is and who he became.

I get that his parents seemed neglectful.  I mean, I've seen that in a lot of movies.  And it seemed pretty one-sided.  I didn't really get why the father was so unsupportive.  I didn't see his point of view, or his mother's.  What was the real reason why they were how they were?  I guess they were just bad guys.  Or maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention?  I really couldn't get into this movie, to be honest.

One thing that they don't ever show in these movies is how they got to be good at what they do in the first place.  Who encouraged him to take piano lessons and why?  Did he have any teachers who inspired him?  Did he have to practice a lot or did it just come naturally?  When he worked with Bernie Taupin, did he just instantly understand what the songs were about?  Did the songs ever evolve?

For a while in the '90s, Elton toured with Billy Joel, the piano man.  The real piano.  Now is there a movie about him?  That one I would like to see.  And Billy actually wrote the songs himself, music and lyrics.  They were deeply personal and reflected a lot of what he was going through.  Actually, you don't even have to watch a biopic to get the Billy Joel experience.  Just listen to his albums from start to finish, and you feel like you've lived a whole life.  You don't have to know all the details behind the songs and the albums.  You are just grateful that this person existed and is able to convey his emotions through his art.

Pizza Dream

I had this dream last night.  I can't remember most of it.  I was in some building or hotel or some kind of room in a high rise apartment.  I was by my computer doing some kind of work by myself.

I was expecting my son Rusty and his mom and some other friends.  I don't think they knew them.  I ordered some pizzas for everyone.  I group texted my son and wife about it.  I didn't get a reply.  

I was kinda of getting a bit anxious because I was trying to get the timing right so I could finish work and leave and get the pizzas and everything.  After a while, Rusty and his mom and the friends show up.  They somehow have the pizzas with them.  They come in and place the pizzas in front of me, offering me to eat.  I open the boxes and found that they had already ate about half of them.

I was upset and walked out.  I didn't know what I was going to do.  I was a bit confused because I didn't know how both groups came to join together and I don't think they even knew each other.  Also, I don't know how they ended up with the pizza when I was the one who was supposed to give it to them, which is why I was getting anxious to find out when they were getting there so I could get the food.  

I thought about texting Rusty about why he didn't text me or acknowledge that they were coming.  I was trying to stay calm but I thought about potentially exploding in anger.  I just walked out and I think I took the elevator.  I didn't text him and didn't end up getting that mad.  But then I woke up.  I can't remember what happened before that, but there were other things leading to it, and I'm not sure if anything else happened after.

Anyways, I think the pizza thing comes from picking up Rusty and his teammates for high school hockey games.  They usually have a couple of hours before game start and whoever drives the carpool usually gets them a couple of pies to share to make sure they have something to eat.  The last time I drove, one of the other parents actually placed the order and we just had to pick it up.  They had already eaten lunch but still ended up eating at least a couple of slices each.  I told them to take the rest to give it to the team, but we arrived to the rink extra early, and by the time the others came, the slices had already gotten cold.  Rusty and his friend ended up eating the cold pizza after they got back from the game.

The frustration of waiting also stems from high school hockey, I think.  There were a couple of times when I had shown up to pick up Rusty from practice, and he didn't come out right away.  I guess the practice ran long, and of course, he doesn't have his phone on the ice so he can't exactly text me to let me know how much longer to wait.  Sometimes I'm sitting in the car fuming about having my time wasted.  I'm going over all the things I'm going to say to him and getting ready to yell and lose it.  Somehow though, when he eventually comes out, I have managed to keep my composure.  He strolls out of the rink casually and then sits on the passenger side next to me.  Then he states he obvious that practice ran long.  And I say, "Okay."  And then we just drive on and we talk about other things.

Queue Tips: Licorice Pizza (2021)

It's probably my fault for not paying close attention, but I have seen "Licorice Pizza" twice now and I still don't know what it refers to.  I don't think I've ever seen a Paul Thomas Anderson movie in a theatre but maybe if I saw this one there, I would have gotten it more.  I guess there's just too many distractions watching at home that you can't always really get into it.  Either that or this movie is just too boring to really get emerged into it.

Actually, I have seen a P. T. Anderson film in the theatre.  It was "There Will Be Blood".  I watched it way after it first came out, and so many people have been raving about how great it was.  I finally had to go and see it before somebody inevitably spoiled it for me.  Well, when I finally went, I was underwhelmed.  I guess I expected too much after all the hype.  I did watch it again after it came out on DVD and that second time, I actually enjoyed it.  That was kind of what I was hoping for when I rewatched "Licorice Pizza" the other day, but no, I still didn't like it.

I guess I just didn't like the characters.  And there wasn't really a clear story for me.  They were sort of just meandering from one thing to another.  But I guess maybe that was the point.  The protagonist is in her early twenties, and I did feel lost as well at that age.

I can't even remember her name, but she meets this fifteen year old at a high school.  They talk, and he confidently invites her to some bar, and she actually goes to meet him.  He looks way too old to be fifteen, but I guess it's possible to be that big for that age.  He turns out to be kind of a resourceful and industrious kid, and they end up doing some business together.  

They end up getting romantically involved, and I kind of felt cringey about the age difference.  I would feel the same way if the genders were reversed.  I recently rewatched "Parasite", and I was kind of incredulous because it seemed like culturally acceptable for a younger high school girl to have a relationship with an older college guy.  It's like when I watched "An Education".  I couldn't believe it.  I can't remember the reviews now, but everyone seemed to be okay with it.  As for this movie, I don't understand what the two like about each other, apart from that they don't really have a lot of options.  I guess I can see their point of view, but I just don't understand why this story needed to be told and why people should watch this.  And it's not that I find it offensive, but it's just that it was a waste of my time.

The film is set in the seventies.  I wonder why.  It didn't really add much to me.  If it was set to nowadays, the relationship would probably look even odder.

I really did not find anything likable about the characters.  One thing I learned after googalizing it now, is that the boy was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman's son.  I wonder if that clouded the reviewers' views of the film.  That is why I like seeing movies fresh, without trailers or reading about upcoming projects in the news.

Queue Tips: Yule of Dogs

I read somewhere before that Wes Anderson thought of the idea for "Isle of Dogs" because it sounds like someone saying "I love dogs" or vice versa.  When it first came out on DVD, I watched it a lot with my kids.  They kept wanting to see it over and over.  

The drumming in the beginning and the whistling in the middle got stuck in our heads around that time.  My older one would grab the sticks and do the beat.  My younger one was only around three years old at the time so he couldn't really do it.  Neither of them could whistle even now so they would just kind of hum or make fake whistling sounds.  I would tease them by whistling for them, and they would tease me back by snapping their fingers.  I can't really snap my fingers very well or loudly.

We would also repeat the lines in the movie, of course.  When the younger one wouldn't listen, we would say to him, "You're disobedient.  Sit!"  And I actually can't remember the other lines now.  It's funny because we quoted it all the time.  "Fetch-i" I guess was one of them.  And "I don't fetch."  Even after rewatching the film recently, the other lines still don't stick.  The difference maybe is that I watched it by myself this time and not with the boys.  Maybe if we watched it together, I would remember more.  Mostly because they would probably want to see it over and over.  It was the same with "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which was also directed by Anderson.

This was his second animated movie, and it was pretty good on its own.  I'm glad he doesn't do sequels.  But I was thinking about what I would call it if there was another installment of this.  I would probably call it "Yule of Dogs".  Because it sounds like "You love dogs", of course.  And then you would have to make it a Christmas movie because of the title.

Would I still set it in Japan?  What would the story be?  Something about saving Christmas as usual?  Or maybe just dogs enjoying the holidays?  How popular is kurisumasu in that country, anyway?  I read something somewhere before that Kentucky Fried Chicken is popular there because the Japanese were led to believe that that is how Americans celebrate the holiday.  Maybe Oracle the dog learns about the Yuletide season and try to introduce it to his dog friends and they try to spread holiday cheer all over Tokyo.  And hilarity ensues or something.

Anyways, I always assumed Wes Anderson was an Akira Kurosawa fan, and this film kind of validated that for me.  He obviously takes great care to frame his shots and uses movements well.  Characters move within the frame and the pans, dollies and tilts usually have a purpose.  For Anderson, it seems more just for fun sometimes, but that's fine.  But what really sticks out for me is how multiple characters move together as a group.  Their placement within the set and the shot kind of give me the same sentiment. 

And then the music in this film is obviously an homage or a reference to those samurai films.  It was a very enjoyable experience.  My kids enjoyed the film, but I wonder what adults would think of it, especially if they had not been exposed to Kurosawa films.

A Disgusting Dream

I had a dream the other night where I was on some sort of island, maybe on vacation or something.  I was with some other people, about five of us.  They felt like family.  There was an older gentleman with us, who was kind of like our tour guide, or father figure.  Or uncle figure?  But he had that kind of vibe, that he knew what was going on and was kind of taking the lead.

We were by the water.  There was stuff happening before, of course, and as with most of my dreams, I can't remember the earlier stuff.  I think we were walking or driving around this vacation type place.  This was probably in the Philippines.  I have had dreams about being there off and on this past year.  We were looking towards a bridge and the scenery around it.  And then just then, the lights went off.  Not that it was too bright to begin with.  It seemed to be around dusk, and I think the lights on the bridge would be on regardless of time of day.  I couldn't really see if the lights on the houses or other buildings had been on or not, and I could barely make out the structures anyway.  They were few and far between.  There seemed to have been a brown out, and I feel like the tour guide type guy urged us to stop and look around because we don't always see the place in its natural light.  Or darkness.  Not that it was that dark as there was still some daylight around.  It wasn't shadowy.  It was kind of just tinted like.

And then it was suddenly actually dark.  It switched to nighttime just like that.  There was some kind of a floating thing or device with a light, and it came from the deeper part of the water towards me.  I was on some kind of wooden dock maybe near the shore.  As the device got closer, it would light up the area right in front of it.  As it got towards me, it showed that there was some kind of poop somewhere.  I can't remember if it was on the water or the ground, but I remember it being revealed that there was poop there.  It seemed to be the cartoonish, almost emoji like, at this point.  Or like the way they would show poop on the show "Rick and Steve", very plastic like.

So then I walked away from it.  I was kind of by myself as this lighted floating device thing was coming.  I joined the rest of the group, and we continued on.  Then it wasn't that dark again.  It was back to the original tinted light.  We were on some grassy, dirt area, and we were headed back towards a concrete or paved path.  There may have been a vehicle awaiting us.   As I looked down on the ground, I saw that there was poop everywhere.  Like massive amounts.  Like you could hardly see the dirt on the ground because it was all surrounded by poop.

I either woke up around that time, or the dream continued to parts that I don't remember.  I have an idea of how this kind of imagery manifested.  I have been running a bit again recently, and I noticed piles of poop all over our neighborhood.  Especially after when it snows, people don't seem to care about picking up after their dogs when they go.  It has been pretty bad recently, and the other on this path I ran by, there was poop every few feet on either side of me.  And I usually look down when I run so I know where I'm stepping.  (When it rains, I try to avoid stomping the numerous worms that come out.). So I can't avoid seeing the mounds left behind by messy hounds. 

Queue Tips: I Queue

Apparently, "I.Q." is not the prequel to "A.I."  They kind of have nothing to do with each other.  Also, the latter came later, and the former came earlier.

When I first turned this movie on, I was expecting to see "Quiz Show".  I'm not sure why I mixed them up.  Is it the letter Q?  And I believe they both came out around the same time.  I don't think they have any of the same actors or filmmakers.  I was surprised to see Tim Robbins' and Meg Ryan's names on the opening credits.  I had seen this movie before but I had pretty much forgot all about it for all those years since around 1994 or 95.  That would be what?  30 years?  Crazy.

I do remember enjoying this when I first watched it.  But now, I don't know.  It's not exactly cringey, but it just doesn't seem right.  The plot is about a young man pretending to be smart so that a young lady would fall for him.  And a group of four old men help him.  Also, this young lady is already seeing someone.  They may actually be engaged, I think.  So most of the movie is about these guys manipulating and lying to the lady to trick her into liking him.  One of the old men is Albert Einstein, and the young lady is his niece.  

I was able to suspend my disbelief when I first watched it.  But now, I couldn't really get past the fact that what they are doing is wrong.  The movie is trying to make it cute or whimsical, and the antics are supposed to be mischievous and playful.  But it's just not right.  The main character falls in love with this lady at first sight, and he says that he sees the future and that they will end up together.  If he is so certain of this, then why go through all the trouble and pretense.  Just tell her you like her.

How long did he possibly think he could fake being a genius?  I think if he truly liked her, he would have asked her about her interests and her thoughts and theories and what kind of projects she was working on.  They could have made an actual genuine connection by her getting to share her passion with him.  Instead, he spends his time on fooling her.  If he had humbled himself, he could have actually learned something for real.

The girl, on her part, eventually realizes that the men are plotting to have the two of them get together.  She is already seeing someone somewhat seriously, but still she entertains him.  She doesn't stop him right away or reprimand the old men.  She just kind of goes along with it.  So what did she expect?  

As for the man she was already seeing, the movie is trying to make the audience not like him, obviously.  But what did he actually do wrong?  He was actually working on accomplishing something in his field.  He may not have been that great about it, but he was dedicated and he put forth effort into it.  Yet, we are supposed to hate him, or at least dislike him.  The protagonist even sabotages one of his experiments for no reason.

It's kind of amazing that I was able to look past all these things thirty years ago.  Of course, I haven't had any romantic relationships at the time yet.  And I probably had crushes on girls who already had boyfriends at the time.  So yeah, I probably identified with the Robbins character back then.  Not that I identify with the boyfriend character now.  I just kind of see how wrong the whole plot against hm was.

The boyfriend is played by Stephen Fry.  I had been watching "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" and "Jeeves and Wooster" recently, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him right at the first scene.

Queue Tips: The Boy and The Heron (2023)

I hadn't realized that Hayao Miyazaki had come out of retirement and directed another film, so "The Boy and the Heron" was a pleasant surprise.  I had no idea what this movie was about, but I ended up enjoying it overall.  I enjoyed the animation style of this movie.  

I think one of the interesting things with live action is the collaboration with the actors.  They get to improvise and try different approaches and do a little bit of the business on screen, and the director gets choices during production and post.  You can't really do that for cartoons, so I find all the subtle nuances and movements in animated films very interesting.

There was a scene where the boy walked into his room, and something about the way he lay his hat down on the bed just was very interesting for me to see.  There are a lot of moments like this in Miyazaki movies that I love to watch.

Whenever I see characters in live action movies sleeping, it takes me out of the moment for a bit.  I start to think about the fact that that is an actor pretending to be asleep.  Then I start to watch their sleeping performance closer, looking at how tight their eyes are shut, how still their bodies are, how hard or not hard they are breathing.  Stuff like that.  But in this movie, when the boy, after a long, eventful day, falls down on his bed and falls asleep, I didn't think about any of that.  I just saw how peaceful he looked, and I was kind of relieved to see him get his rest.  It was kind of like watching my kids sleep.

As far as the story goes, I didn't really find it as exciting as Miyazaki's other works, like "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Spirited Away".  It was a nice adventure, and the characters were interesting enough.  I didn't really like how characters disappeared at some parts of the film.  One character would accompany the boy for a bit, and then another one at another point, and then another would take over.  Even the heron wasn't with the boy the whole time, as the title would kind of suggest.  It wasn't really about the two of them either.  The heron just happened to be the first character to kind of start off the adventure, but it wasn't like they had a special connection or friendship, in my opinion.

I think though, if you set your expectations, you can actually really get into this movie.  It's kind of like a dream where things just sort of happen and you just find yourself going from one setting to another.  You just kind of let it take you and not really try to figure it out.  I don't know if this was based on a folk tale or Japanese myth or something, or if it was just totally made up.  

Kind of like a dream though, I feel like in the end, when the boy returns to reality, it's kind of like nothing still changed, like he just woke up from sleep.  I think so anyway.  I guess maybe internally he had changed and grown as a person.  But I don't think so really.  Of if he did, maybe I missed the point.  But I do think that this is a coming of age story about a boy who went through some traumatic events and they manifested in his dreams.

Ootsh

Oots!  Or, ootch!  Or, ootsh!

It's a sound my older son makes when he gets up from the couch.  Like an old man.  Or when he's lifting groceries.  I can't describe exactly how he sound like, but that's what he would say.

Actually, I haven't heard him say it that much lately.  He has been pretty busy with schoolwork.  He is doing homework most of the time when I see him at home.  He is a sophomore in high school now in a pretty demanding school.   It's kind of like Coles Academic High School in Miss Marvel, if you've ever seen it.  Except it's not literally a magnetic school, as far as I know.  I don't think metallic stuff are attracted to it.

Anyways, my son often will sit at the dining room table doing homework.  He might stall by playing games on his phone, and I would tell him he is doing a great job and he would thank me.  Then sometimes he would also have a tablet playing a video or something.  And then when his little brother sits there to eat dinner or do his own homework, they would each be on their own devices.  They could have at least three going at once sometimes.  The younger one and I usually go to sleep earlier than he and his mom, and he would still be sitting there late at night.

Other times, he would be on the couch in the living room.  The other day, he was doing homework on his Chromebook and he had a movie going on the his mom's laptop on the coffee table.  It was "101 Dalmatians".  This was I think on Sunday.  I passed by a few times, and the movie was always going.  His little brother was playing near him, and apparently they watched it over and over.

He is fifteen now, but he is still just a big kid.  I was pleasantly surprised that that was the movie he chose to watch.  Sometimes his little brother would have a show going that is meant for little kids, like "Kipper" or something like that, and he would pause and watch for a bit.  I like when he mentions that he remembers the episode and what happens.  A couple of his teammates' parents sometimes ask for advice on what to do when their kid stays out late and what time we set our curfew, and I'm like, I don't know, I don't have that problem.

Sometimes, he will be in his room doing homework with the door closed.  I was actually the one who suggested to him to bring his laptop to bed so he could just close his eyes and go to sleep when it's very late.  I kinda sorta regret that because since then he has been in his room alone a lot more.  Even though I don't bother him when he is downstairs, it is still good to see him around.  When I wake up in the middle of the night, I check if he is awake by the light coming out from under his door.  When I see that it is dark, I am relieved to know that he is getting his rest.

When he wakes up early in the morning to get ready for school, I usually just say good morning and try not to inundate him with too much stuff so soon.  As much as I want to always talk to him and know what is going on, I try to be concise and give him his peace.  And then when he actually talks to me and opens up, it's great and it's not forced.  And then soon enough he is off to school again. 

With the two boys at school and the wife having returned to the office, I am home alone most days.  I do some chores in between my work and online meetings.  Sometimes when I pick up after their mess like their clothes off the floor or something, I say, "Ootsh" to no one but myself.

And Another Dream

I was in some kind of a studio apartment.  It was ground level.  It reminded me of one of my old acquaintance's place from a few years ago.  She was a singer in a band, and she lived with her girlfriend.  It was a railroad type place but there were no walls from the front to the back.

Anyways, in the dream, I had I guess a roommate type.  He was off near the middle by the bed or table or something.  I can't remember what, but he was doing something.  I had the feeling of not wanting to disturb him.  Or trying to finish what I was doing so I could join him.

I was near the front of the place.  I was doing something on the wall.  It looked like an Adobe Premiere panel.  That's a video editing software.  But instead of a computer, the panel was on the wall and I was manually placing stuff on it by hand.  While the app would have thumbnails, I was placing pictures on a timeline on that physical wall.

I was syncing audio files.  So these little pictures were lined up on the timeline one below the other.  For some reason, I needed them synced (or sunk, as my old film professor used to say) even though once done, I would just delete them.  They were like music files of live songs, which I didn't want to keep.

There were other parts to the dream after it, but I can't remember it now.  Funnily enough, I didn't really get a good night's rest because I would constantly wake up and think about what I just dreamt.  Maybe I should have written it down right away, but I didn't.  I was thinking about what I would write down, which gave me trouble getting back to sleep.

Eventually, more and more light was coming into the bedroom.  I did not feel rested by daylight.  My kids had been sick this week, especially the older one.  I brought him to urgent care, and they found that he had influenza A.  The doctor lady, or more specifically, the P.A. (whatever that is), confirmed it and prescribed medication for him.  I think it was Tamiflu or something.  And then she asked if we lived together and said I would probably get the flu also in the coming days.

Well, I was feeling fine until then.  And then somehow that suggestion started making me feel ill.  I started feeling things in my throat and needing to blow my nose a lot.  Then yesterday morning, my body just kind of felt sore.  I wasn't really feverish, but I felt some parts of my body to be hotter than usual.

I couldn't get to sleep easily last night.  Even after I took melatonin.  I was still up for another hour or so.  I had dreams, but it was like nothing was happening.  I can't remember the specific events now, but it was just like the characters and I were just waiting around for something.  

I wish I could remember more of it.

Another Dream

Okay.  Another dream from last night.  Or early this morning.

Starting from what I can remember, I was driving.  I was alone in the car.  I was in some suburban road, no traffic.  I was heading home.

I turned left from one street into a multi lane road.  There was a car that seemed to come from behind me.  It went past me.  Not too fast or anything.  Just regular speed.  And then it took the right lane to turn or exit right.  I just relaxed and paid no mind and let it go, knowing I was heading straight.  As I drove on, there were two or three cars about to turn from that lane.

I was quite sure that wasn't where I was going.  I felt like I would have to turn right myself in a couple of blocks, but not there.  I was confident and didn't even look at the map on my phone.  I seemed to have my music app at the time.  As I passed the intersection, I then checked the map on my phone, and it was indicating I should have turned there.

I kept driving without panicking.  But I did think about maybe turning around or something.  As I passed another street, I saw a sign for halo-halo.  If you don't know what that is, it is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines.  It was a blue-ish or purplish sign nailed to a telephone pole.  I turned right into the driveway by which the sign was placed.  I figured I might as well check out this place while I was there.

By the way, I haven't had halo-halo in years.  I think the last time I tried it was at the old Jollibee, and it wasn't so good.  They had pre-made it, and the crushed ice kind of melted together and kind of formed into a more solid piece.  And it was placed inside a cheap plastic cup, so it was tough to kind of stab at the ice to try and crush it without worrying about bursting the cup.  Also, my kids were never into it the few times I had them try it.  I think the last time I really enjoyed it was many many years ago at Little Quiapo.  I must have still had been in college at the time.

Back to the dream.  I pulled into the driveway, and in the end was the halo-halo place restaurant.  They kind of had wooden, maybe bambooish tables and chairs, but it wasn't that clear in the dream.  Somehow, without exiting the car, I was suddenly inside the little restaurant, seated at a table.  I don't remembering ordering but someone served me.  Only it wasn't halo-halo I was given.  It was ramen.  It was almost like the two were the same thing.

Anyways, it was served to me in a clear plastic bag, almost like cellophane, but rectangle or square shaped.  Somehow the plastic was holding the ramen and the dark soupy water underneath it together.  It didn't seem to be a problem.  But I also remembering wondering if I should suggest to the proprietor maybe getting a bowl shaped plastic container, but I wasn't sure how much they would cost or whatever.

It was only after I woke up and thought about it and realized that the bowl shaped plastic container actually exists, and we actually got it from one of the ramen places from which we had ordered delivery a few times before.  That is about all I can remember.  I'm sure there were other events before the driving, but as of now, they have been erased from my memory.  I got up and checked the time, and it was almost 6am.  I lay back down and closed my eyes but never actually got back to sleep.

Interestingly, I had been eating ramen most days this week.  It has been cold here, and we had gotten temps as low as 10F, so the hot ramen has helped warm me up. 

A Dream

I had a pretty interesting dream last night.  I want to write it down to remember as much as I can.  A lot had been going on already but here is what I can still recall.

We were at someone's house.  It was somewhat big, with multiple floors.  There was some kind of celebration or get together, and apparently it was for me.  There were no longer a lot of people at this point.  Maybe there were more earlier in the dream, but I can't remember it.  

I was walking down the house, and I heard somebody washing dishes or something.  It was a shirtless man older than me.  He seemed to be like my dad but I didn't get a clear look at his face.  But it was like a fatherly figure.  Or maybe unclely.  Is that a word?  I kinda said something like for him not to do the dishes because I would do it, but he was saying no, that he would.  He was kind of saying that it was not that much, and then somebody kind of corrected him and said no, those are all dirty.  

That person was my eldest brother.  For some reason, he didn't have a shirt either.  I thanked him because he was the one who put the party or get together together.  But again, there were not a lot of people left there by this point.  I was with somebody though.  It was my wife or one of my kids or something.  I think it may have been my older son, and I think earlier in the dream I may have been looking for him around the house because it was time to go or something.  I remember hugging my older brother to thank him, but it was like I was looking at me and him instead of actually experiencing the embrace, if that makes sense.

And then we were kind of just outside.  It felt like we were in the Philippines.  There were some people there.  I remember thinking that even though I looked just like them, I probably stood out by my behavior or mannerisms.  And then I kind of walked past this garden like place by this row of bushes.  There were some people sitting around, people who knew me.  They were just relaxing, I guess.  

And then I walked past them, and the dream took a turn.  Suddenly I was in this rundown complex of apartments.  The building itself was rounded or circular.  The doors and walls had kind of fallen off and you could see from one unit to the other.  Some of the belongings were still there, but they were all rotten, dirty and disgusting.  It felt like it used to be an affluent neighborhood and that the people who used to live there were my current neighbors in America.  There was one long hallway that seemed to have been turned into a bedroom.  There was a blue or purpley bed on the floor, which was all rotten.  There were like moldy stains on the walls and floors that remained.

People were walking around the units like it was some kind of tour or attraction.  I was trying to imagine what the place had looked like before it had been run down.  I felt like I recognized what they used to be.  I was moving from one unit to another and seeing where the halls and bedrooms were.  I had expected every unit to have the same design but they were all slightly different.

There was one place I went into where I saw some disgusting rotten food stuffs.  One of them was in like a wide round tin container.  The stuff in it was yellow like scrambled eggs.  I remember feeling disgusted by them.  There were other stuff, but I can't remember them exactly.

And then suddenly, I was outside.  There was kind of somebody with me the whole time.  It felt like a childhood friend and I was kind of a child again.  (Earlier in the dream in the house, I felt like a young adult, maybe in my twenties.). We were by an outdoor faucet and there were people around us.  We were down on the ground trying to wash off the tin container.  I could see the water going over the substance, and as the yellow stuff came off, I could see things underneath it, kind of like vegetables or something.  I remember wondering why we were trying to wash it off and why I even grabbed the can in the first place.

That's kind of all I remember.  I woke up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, which is how I was able to recall this.  I tried to remember as much as I could, I probably couldn't have gotten back to sleep if I had tried harder.  It didn't bother me or anything.  I just thought it was interesting.

A Scene

There is this scene in "Code Unknown" that stuck with me.  There is this couple swimming in a pool.  They are having fun and kissing each other and stuff.  The pool is on a rooftop of a tall building.  They are the only ones there.  It seems to be directly connected to their apartment of condominium unit.  So it is a private pool.  They seem to be well to do.  Affluent.  They seem to be in love and rich and have everything they want.

We watch them in the water having the time of their lives.  And then it is revealed there is a young child in their home.  It is a boy of about maybe five years old.  He wanders off and climbs on top of the wall of the side of the tall building.  It is a short wall, about five feet hight.  As he kind of lies down on the border there, he seems unaware of the danger.  One wrong move or slip and that would of course be the end of him.

The couple finally spots the boy.  They run out of the pool and rush over to him.  They pull him off the wall, rescuing him.  They are emotional, panicked, scared.  They yell at the boy for what he has done, putting himself in such danger.  The mother then slaps the child.  The child then runs off and goes inside.  The couple stay there and console each other, making each other feel better after that traumatic situation.

This makes me feel a lot of different feelings, of course.  I'm a bit outraged about how the couple are more concerned about themselves.  They were unaware of the unsupervised child.  After the scary situation, they then console themselves while the child is again left alone.  The child did not even know he was in danger.  They only made the situation worse by scolding him and then physically assaulting him.  Would you blame me for feeling judgmental at this point?

And then this is what director Michael Haneke does.  He reveals that this is just a scene in a movie within the movie.  The actors are in a studio watching the scene, dubbing additional dialogue recording.  It is of course a very powerful serious scene, but as they flub their lines, they laugh at their mistakes.  So you're going from one emotion, something like being outraged, and then he switches it up and makes you wonder what you were so upset about.

In any case, I do feel like there are some people who are not very good at parenting.  Although they may have the financial means to provide for them, they are not necessarily there emotionally.  And they might even mean well sometimes, but they might be a bit misguided.

Sometimes, I think I recognize a situation like this, and I would feel all concerned about it.  But then just like in the film, something about the people pulls me out of it and makes me wonder if there is really something to be worried about.  It's hard when it comes to emotional neglect.  It's not something you can easily prove.  You just kind of have to pray and hope for the best.

Queue Tips: Code Unknown (2000)

I've seen "Code Unknown" before.  I remember really enjoying.  The first time I saw it was back in college, around the year 2000.  I may have seen it in the theatre but probably not.  I was really into these kinds of films back then, and I did use to go to theaters to watch them.  Places like the Angelika or Film Forum or something.  I was also into Michael Haneke films, but I probably wasn't that aware of him at the time this came out.

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure now that I saw this in a college class around 2001 or 2002.  I was a film major so I had many classes where we would watch movies.  I can't remember the name of the specific class, but I'm sure I still have my notebook.  It was a class that really got me thinking about films and their meaning.  I think the course was called Film and Humanities, or something like that.

My favorite filmmaking instrument is the tripod.  I love films that actually set up the camera and put thought into composition.  That is what I like about Michael Haneke films.  I like what the camera shows and doesn't show.  I like how it reveals things by panning, tilting, dollying and generally by moving.  I do see a purpose in handheld from time to time, but mostly I find it lazy.

It's been a while since I've seen "Code Unknown" but as I said, I liked it when I first saw it.  I enjoyed it.  And it got me thinking a bit.  Again the composition was good, and the long takes were impressive.  They really get you into the moment.  And I like how the director purposely takes you out of those moments from time to time.

It is a French film, with characters who speak French, as well as other characters who speak other different languages.  Part of this leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding.  I don't remember the exact stories or plots at this point.  I'm not sure what prompted me to rewatch it again at this point.  It was probably another Haneke film that I just watched.  I do know that he died recently.  Oh wait, after googalizing it, I see that he is still alive.  So who just died?  In any case, I was probably just thinking of one of his films like "Funny Games" or something.  Or maybe I saw a movie with too much handheld camera and missed his style.  And then I just happened to see this title and put it on.  It's also possible I thought of it because my son is has been studying French in high school.

In any case, this time around when I watched it, I actually did not have subtitles available.  So I watched "Code Unknown" with no subtitles.  So the actual languages and conversations were actually unknown to me.  There is barely any English.  I think the only thing I understood was a reference to a quote from John F. Kennedy, Jr. in which he says, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  Without the languages being transcoded for me, it was more mysterious and and curious what was going on.  I actually liked it.  I liked trying to figure out what was going on without understanding the dialogue.

Queue Tips: Dave The Rave

"Dave" is a movie that I remember watching back when it first came out in 1993.  There was a time when my mom and I would go to the movies a lot around this year.  I didn't have a lot of activities to participate in, but for a while this was something that I could regularly look forward to in the weekends.  A couple of movies we went to when they came out were "Jurassic Park" and " Dennis the Menace".  I remember we were at the food court or something and there was a poster of that dinosaur movie and she pointed out that tag line, "65 millions years in the making."  I just kind of nodded, but I didn't really get it.  That was probably the first time I've seen that phrase.  I didn't ask her what it meant.  She seemed impressed with it, and I just wanted to agree.

Anyways, I feel like "Dave" probably came out in the fall maybe.  Or was it late spring?  I was in the seventh grade, and I didn't really have a lot of friends.  But at some point I remember walking on Jordan Avenue toward Vroom Street with a class mate, and we were talking.  I joked with him that "Dave" is great, "Dave" is the best, "Dave" is amazing.  Dave being my name, you see.  And I think he laughed.  I was hoping to make the same joke with other classmates at some point, but it never happened.  I think school maybe ended or something.  In the back of my mind, I think I really did hope people would think Dave to be great and the best and amazing.  Super amazing great.

Googalizing the release date of the film shows that it was May 7, 1993.  So I probably saw it near the end of school.  I think probably that memory of me walking and talking with my classmate was probably one of the last days of school, if not the last day.  I remember feeling a sense of relaxation and no stress.  Seventh grade was a tough one for me, and I wrote a lot about it on my journal at the time.  I also wrote about "Dave" and my little joke with my acquaintance.  Notice I'm not referring to him as an actual friend, because I can't even remember his name or which one he actually was.  

I actually did like the movie at the time.  Rewatching it now, it's kind of amazing how much movies can oversimplify things and expect you to really suspend your disbelief.  Remember when movies used to be an escape?  I'm not sure how well this film did, but I think it was made because people kind of wanted to believe or imagine that politicians can actually be good and actually care about people other than themselves.

Spoiler alert.  This movie is about a guy who looks just like the president of the country.  He gets a chance to take over the role and actually does at least one good thing, albeit in a strange and unorthodox manner.  It was a fun watch at the time.  I think it was refreshing to see back then.  This day and age, I think it's pretty nearly impossible to imagine.

I used to really, really admire my mom at this age.  At some points I imagined her being president of this country, even though I knew it was not actually possible because of the citizenship rules.  In my fantasy, the scenario was that the whole country was just so impressed with her brilliance that they found a way around that.  And then somehow my dad would become vice president.  I was not that impressed with him, especially not ethically, but my mom would keep her in line.  And of course, being the son of the president and vice president, I would be famous and known as well and I would be admired and be good also and all that.  This was just a fleeting fantasy.  Somehow I remembered imagining this while taking a bubble bath in our little one bedroom apartment.

I don't remember when exactly my mom first thought to go to the movies.  Somehow I was thinking that it was when "Jurassic Park" first came out, but Googalizing it show that it was released in June, which is after "Dave".  But then again, "Dave" would probably have still been in theaters that month and we only saw it then, after which I told my classmate about it and school ended.  

Again, I had nothing to do - no sports or music or classmates to hang out with - so when she asked, I just said okay and went.  (Years later, I would just not want to go at all, preferring to just stay home and watch TV or listen to music or something.)  This went on for a few weeks.  Other movies I believe we went to see were "Last Action Hero", "Sleepless in Seattle" and"The Firm".  Hm, somehow now that I think about it, it was really not that many.  But I guess for those few weeks, it felt like a regular thing.

Our close family friends went back to the Philippines for the summer, and I became their house sitter and I took care of their dog in their apartment while they were away.  Unlike us, they had cable TV, and I preferred to stay there most of the time, even sleeping over there by myself some nights.  I would stay up late just watching whatever and be very tired when I actually did come home.  And then around August, my second older brother came over to live with us and things really changed.

Queue Tips: Grey Gardens (1975)

I was watching "Grey Gardens" the other day, and I remember feeling that it reminded me of another documentary I had seen before.  I thought hard about which one it was, and after a while I realized it was "Bright Lights", which is about Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher.  And then after thinking about it some more, I realized that was the reason why I had intended to watch "Grey Gardens" in the first place.  After watching "Bright Lights", I read a review about it and the article mentioned that it reminded the writer about "Grey Gardens".

Anyways, so yeah, there is a similarity in that it does kind of give you the same vibe.  And it is about an elderly mother and her daughter.  They apparently live together in this mansion called Grey Gardens.  But unlike Reynolds and Fisher, I don't think these two ever really accomplished much.  They just happened to be related to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.  And unlike "Bright Lights", it doesn't end with the two subjects dying in the end.

It's interesting enough, I guess.  I can't say I identify with the subjects though or admire them in any way.  At some points, the daughter keeps talking about what kind of man she wants or something, in kind of a picky way, I guess.  Kind of reminds me of this "Kids in the Hall" line.

It did kind of remind me of my old days as a video editor.  Sometimes I would be working with home videos or something, and I would get to see glimpses of people's lives like this.  And then I also had a client who were kind of like the subjects.  They were clients with nice houses and things and knew people and stuff.  Too many to write about right now.  I also had a client who would just constantly talk and opine during the edit sessions.  It was nice getting to know them though, I guess.  But overall, I just didn't really identify.  I hope they are doing all right.

Queue Tips: Cadillac Records (2008)

Apparently, "Cadillac Records" is not the sequel to "The Lincoln Lawyer".  It's a totally different movie.  This movie is about rock and roll musicians in the 1950s and 60s.  It stars Adrien Brody as a white producer.  I can't remember his character's full name, but I believe the last name was Chess.  And I believe there actually was no Cadillac Records company, and instead it was called Chess Records.  One of the company's other producers was Muddy Waters.  

At first watch, I wasn't sure if this was actually based on true events, or how historically accurate it was.  There was just so much talent there that it's kind of hard to believe they all went through just this one record company.  There was, of course, Waters, but there was also Chuck Berry, Etta James and many others.  

I liked the performances of the actors.  Jeffrey Wright plays Muddy Waters.  Mos Def plays Chuck Berry.  (Now that I think about it, I probably wrote about this movie already before because I remember really liking his work at the time.). And Beyonce Knowles plays Etta James.  It was a real treat watching her.  I always enjoyed the few songs that I knew of hers, such as "At Last" and "I'd Rather Go Blind", and Beyonce's performance really added to my appreciation.  "All I Could Do Was Cry" was really great, and I'm going to try to get that song and check out more by James.

As a frustrated director, this movie gave me ideas as to how I would approach a musical historical biopic type movie.  I don't want to write it here because I'm paranoid even though no one reads this.  But I will say I did not like "Bohemian Rhapsody" all that much.  I wanted to learn more about the songwriting process of Queen, and I don't feel like we really got that from that film.  Not that we got much from this film either.  

Actually, one of the things I wish we kind of learned about was where the talent came from.  Of course, it would probably mostly come from practicing, right?  But who knows?  Did these musicians actually practice all that much?  Were they just blessed?  Where did they get their guitars or harmonicas?  And how did they find the time to hone their craft?  What did they have to sacrifice in exchange?

When I was in college, I thought about becoming a musician.  I hung around other musicians, even though they weren't necessarily into the genre I was into, which was heavy metal at the time.  I kind of had to weigh the risk of what it would take to pursue my dream.  I considered dropping out of college and devoting all my time into the music business.  I was close to getting gigs here and there but I just never got the time to really practice.  I was a drummer and it was tough for me to just practice all day because I had neighbors sharing walls one either side of our house.  So it was a challenge to get better and learn songs and book gigs which would hopefully lead to more opportunities.

So I guess that is kind of what I'm looking for in these types of movies.  Instead, the characters just kind of come out of nowhere, already skilled and talented.  They even barely make any mistakes in their performances.  But they don't show who helped them and gave them a chance.  They show the business side of it once they were already good, but they don't really show the root of recognizing that talent and nurturing it.  They also don't show the opposite side.  Were there potentially great people out there who just couldn't pursue their dream because they had to get to work and earn money and make a decision.  So instead of becoming a famous musician, they ended up getting a job and where they were overworked and underpaid for many years and now can only reminisce and wonder about what might have been as they write on their blog that nobody reads.