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.