Number 33. This edition is for the week of November 6--12, 2000.
Matt's Rail
Mike's Rant
Corey's status, Sal Piro, kill the umpire, David Fincher
Nosferatu redux, age aware- ness, OJ, where's Lisa?
Hello gang! Just a few musings this week. Here we go:
LAST WEEK'S NOTES
And from me too, a belated Happy Birthday to Corey. But, let me point out something before he begins feeling like Pete Best................he is not the EX- HATS drummer. Should the band get together, he would be the current drummer!
Wish I could have been there for the Rocky Horror gala. Pretty cool that you had Sal Piro there. I've met Sal many times (a friend of mine in Baltimore is the publisher of the "Official" Rocky Horror Picture Show mags and books). Do they still show it at midnight anywhere there? (Yes.--N) I know we saw it enough when we were young'ns. I still remember birthday boy Corey in his gold shorts when we dressed up. I'd pay cash money if anyone found the pictures from that night! (...and buried them!---N)
Note to Terence: You MUST see "Seven." "Fight Club" also. Both are very noncommercial and feature the trademark David Fincher style. Actually I own a 35 mm copy of Fincher's earlier work, which I show at my annual theatre Christmas party. It's the Rick Springfield music video to "Bop til you Drop," complete with aliens and laser beams. Pretty funny stuff.
KILL THE UMPIRE
That used to be the predominant chant at baseball games when your team was doing bad. Today, unfortunately, athletes and their parents are turning on each other at an alarming rate. Recently a judge in Chicago sentenced a 16- year-old boy to probation. His crime: after losing a hockey game he slammed into an opponent from behind, causing him to crash into the boards and become paralyzed from the waist down. Two years probation!! What's wrong with that sentence? Last month in Florida, a fight between opposing team PARENTS broke out during a pee wee league football game. And this past winter, an irate parent punched his son's coach because he didn't feel his son was getting enough playing time. I'm sure he didn't intend for the coach to hit his head on concrete and die. And I'm sure he didn't intend to spend the next 15 years in prison, which is what he was sentenced to. In this "winner take all" mentality that has enveloped this country, today's kids are now being swept up in the madness. I can remember being 12 years old and pitching in little league. I can still hear the parents yelling "Strike him out, Mike," and either clapping when I did, or shouting reassurance when I didn't. My dad was our coach, and he taught us that we were there to have fun, win or lose. Last year I went from assisting other managers to actually running my son's American Legion team. They were a good bunch of boys, and we had a decent season, considering the fact that most of the kids on our team were 14-16 years old and we were playing teams with boys heading to their first year of college. I can't tell you how many times after a game I would have a parent come up to me with "just a suggestion" that if this or that kid didn't play as much, maybe we could have won the game. There is a man here in Leavenworth that, in the five years I've been here, has been tossed out of more games then I can count because of his constant tirades against the officials and the other players. Doesn't this guy see how embarrassed his son is? I know I do. Everytime this guy mouths off, the boy hangs his head on the bench as if to say, "Hey, dad, take it easy." I've told my son that if the guy ever offers him "advice" to be polite and say thank you. I've encouraged my son to do the best he can in sports, but I will NEVER become that overbearing where he is ashamed to be seen with me.
One final note: Tuesday is election day! I urge everyone to exercise their right to cast their ballot for the candidates they support. If you don't, please don't gripe to us about how this guy or that is ruining the country!
See you next week.
Hello all.....
Let me begin by apologizing to Terence for his perceived plagiarism on my part in my analysis of Nosferatu. I'll now take this opportunity to change my analysis of this great film so that it isn't too close to Terence's:
5. Nosferatu - A light hearted comedy, filled with an abundance of love and
thankfulness, with excellent lighting and an incredible feeling of life and love.
How's that? True, it isn't even close to describing this film, and true, my original analysis was dead on, but hey.....sometimes you gotta appease your critics, right? NOT!!!
Oh, one more thing. "John Carpenter's THE THING" an "OK film"?????? Far too gory??? Try to understand the storyline and appreciate excellence in filmmaking when you see it. I am glad you accept it, though. I'm sure John's
happy too.
And while I agree "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" may not be the BEST Hammer had to offer, it was my personal favorite, thus, making my list. AGE CATCHING UP
Here's wishing Corey a happy birthday. Hard to believe he's 37 years old. You look at your own age and can come to terms with it, and then realize that Corey is 37, and depression sets in. In 66 days I will turn 40, catching up to Mike who's already there. Now I will make us all feel better about it by reminding everyone that no matter how old we get, Nolan will always be older. and wiser too, which mostly has been the case. (Nice last-second save there, Matt....---N)
O J SMOJAY
Well, well, well...it seems that OJ Simpson is suing his former friend and attorney .......... for breaking their client/lawyer confidentiality in supplying information for the OJ movie about to be shown on ..... This is suprising, especially in light of the fact that he proclaims his innocence. The information supplied to the filmmakers solidifies his guilt in killing those two innocent people. If he is truly innocent, then what the film shows is a lie, thereby erasing any need for a lawsuit against his former attorney for "breaking the client/lawyer confidentiality". Understand, OJ is suing his lawyer for breaking his code....NOT for lying. As anyone with half a brain knows, the guy is guilty as sin, and will one day have to explain this in his testimony to God Almighty. At least we can cling to that.
LISA'S LAMBAST LOST
What the heck happened to Lisa's Lambast. (No word for over 10 issues. No idea. Disappeared.---N) It appears that Lisa is still Lisa (those of us who have come to know Lisa know what I mean). Too bad, because she's so damn talented. I hope she's come to realize that fact.
That's about it for now, so till next time:
Take care, and God Bless
Matthew
"Matt's Rail" is ©2000 by Matt Drinnenberg
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"Mike's Rant" is ©2000 by Michael A. Smith
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