meme Archives - Page 14 of 28 - Ramblin' with Roger

Abecedarian movies

I saw this at SamuraiFrog. You name one movie for every letter of the alphabet.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick one film to represent each letter of the alphabet.

2. The letter “A” and the word “The” do not count as the beginning of a film’s title, unless the film is simply titled A or The, and I don’t know of any films with those titles.

3. [Lengthy rules about Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, LOTR, Chronicles of Narnia series…]

4. Films that start with a number are filed under the first letter of their number’s word. 12 Monkeys would be filed under “T.”

5. Link back to Blog Cabins in your post.

6. If you’re selected, you have to then select 5 more people.

The original Blog Cabins rules suggest that one picks their FAVORITE film under that letter, which not explicit in the various iterations I’ve seen such as the one by Tom the Dog, who had a lovely twist on the concept. Johnny B. also did it.

My blog, my (additional) rules. These are films I have seen and that I like. Maybe not THE favorite (A would be Annie Hall, e.g.), but one of my favorites. Some were tough to find anything (X), while some had a plethora of possibilities (T). I’ve tended to lean towards those I first saw in an actual movie theater rather than on video. In fact, I think I saw all my main choices that way except E, H and X

Amadeus – a rockingly good time with Mozart. He died making perhaps my favorite music ever, his Requiem.

Being There – I spent a lot of time defending this film from people who thought it was “boring”, that “nothing happens”.

Cabaret- picked over the obvious Casablanca only because I saw the latter on TV first.

Dumbo – I decided that I needed some animation, and while The Incredibles and Toy Story 2, to name two, would rank higher, this story of the outsider always resonated with me, despite the crows.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – my wife and I saw this on video, were too tired to finish, watch the rest in the morning. I still LOVED it. As someone said, “A very, very sweet movie masquerading as something else.” But I’ve recently discovered that my wife likes it much less than I thought she did. TThis was one of the two Charlie Kaufman films I considered, but since I had a perfectly good B choice, Being John Malkovich, alas, was cast to the side.

Field of Dreams = STILL makes me cry.

Groundhog Day – own this on VHS to see annually.

Hairspray – somehow missed this John waters film in the theater. But saw it recently enough to review in this blog. I’m talking the original here, not the remake.

In the Name of the Father – my Daniel Day-Lewis pick. Not even my favorite of his films, but still solid.

Jules et Jim – saw this at a museum in Binghamton when I was in high school. If you insist on something in English, Jesus Christ Superstar.

Kissing Jessica Stein – had trouble picking ANY K movie.

Lonestar – my John Sayles pick. Sayles is from Schenectady, near Albany, and I’ve seen a LOT of his films, but this is my favorite.

Malcolm X – this covers Denzel Washington and Spike Lee. Actually, my favorite Spike joint would be Do The Right Thing, but I like this one as well.

The Night They Raided Minsky’s – I do believe I’m obsessed with this film, based on the number of times that I’ve mentioned it in this blog. I actually was talking to someone this week who thought it’d be a fine Broadway musical.

On the Waterfront – I actually saw this in television inonly in the past five years. Quite powerful.

Planet of the Apes – a great story co-written by Rod Serling.

The Queen – a recent view; a thin group of choices.

Rear Window – saw this Hitchcock film in a theater when it was re-released in mid-1980s. Indeed, I think I’ve only seen two Hitch films in an actual movie theater, this and the Birds, though I’ve watched a number on TV.

sex, lies and videotape – just edging out The Sound of Music and the Shawshank Redemption.

The Truman Show – tough category with Toy Story 2, 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird. But this is a GOOD Jim Carrey film.

Unforgiven – one of Tom’s selection, the directing of Clint Eastwood needed a spot. So did the western, now that I think of it.

Volver – a relatively recent movie that came to mind with Penelope Cruz.

West Side Story – though Wizard of Oz is the better movie, I do so LOVE the music of WSS. AND I saw it in the movies as a kid.

X2 – this may be the ONLY X movie I’ve seen and remember. I saw this with my wife in a hotel in Maryland or West Virginia on New Year’s Eve a few years ago, before Lydia, stopping midway in our return trip from North Carolina to NYS

Young Frankenstein – oh, yes, another Tom pick. Literally fell out of my chair laughing when I saw it in the theater; good thing I had an aisle seat.

Z – haven’t seen this since it first came out, but I remember being riveted by it.

ROG

R is for Rock and/or Roll

I was reading my Beatlefan magazine this month and there was a discussion of the album “The Beatles” that had a stark white cover, in contrast with the elaborately colorful predecessor Sgt. Pepper. Beatles’ producer George Martin opined that it would have made a great single album, and maybe it it would have. Though Paul McCartney famously replied, “It’s great. It sold. It’s the bloody Beatles’ White Album. Shut up.” . But what to cut?

Then Internet friend Scott actually made a pared-down list, and that has has forced me to TRY to do the same.

Understand that I heard this album in late November or early December 1968, 40 years ago, when it was brand new. I was in the basement of the Unitarian church in Binghamton in upstate New York, hanging out with Steve, who was a member of the church’s LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) group plus other friends of ours. And we listened to the whole thing sitting around in a circle. We were gobsmacked by the experience. I received the album for Christmas that year, but had to return it because the intro to Birthday skipped; this was, as I recall, a problem for a number of people, not just me.

Side one
# Title Length
1. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” 2:43
2. “Dear Prudence” 3:56
3. “Glass Onion” 2:17
4. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” 3:08
5. “Wild Honey Pie” 0:52
6. “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” 3:14
7. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (George Harrison) 4:45
8. “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” 2:43
Side two
# Title Length
1. “Martha My Dear” 2:28
2. “I’m So Tired” 2:03
3. “Blackbird” 2:18
4. “Piggies” (Harrison) 2:04
5. “Rocky Raccoon” 3:32
6. “Don’t Pass Me By” (Starkey) 3:50
7. “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” 1:41
8. “I Will” 1:46
9. “Julia” 2:54
Side three
# Title Length
1. “Birthday” 2:42
2. “Yer Blues” 4:01
3. “Mother Nature’s Son” 2:48
4. “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” 2:24
5. “Sexy Sadie” 3:15
6. “Helter Skelter” 4:29
7. “Long, Long, Long” (Harrison) 3:04
Side four
# Title Length
1. “Revolution 1” 4:15
2. “Honey Pie” 2:41
3. “Savoy Truffle” (Harrison) 2:54
4. “Cry Baby Cry” 3:01
5. “Revolution 9” 8:22
6. “Good Night” 3:11

Strategically, I suppose what to keep is of some import. One has to have one Ringo vocal. The drummer left the band during the making of the album and had to be wooed back. While selecting the song he wrote years earlier, Don’t Pass Me By, might have been more pleasing to him, Lennon’s Good Night is a more pleasant tune. Likewise one needs two Harrison songs; Guitar and Savoy Truffle are the strongest. I need to keep some, but not all of Paul’s dance hall tunes. If we keep Obladi, the reference to it in Savoy makes more sense. I suppose we’ll dump the “obvious” Revolution 9 and Wild Honey Pie. I’m also dumping Revolution 1 only because Revolution became a single.

In fact, if it had been cut down to a single LP, wouldn’t there have been another single instead? Other than the songs chosen for inclusion, I’m thinking that Glass Onion might have stood alone, with all those insider Beatles’ references, backed with one of McCartney’s pretty ballads – I’ll pick Mother Nature’s Son.
Which leaves:
Side 1
1. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” 2:43
2. “Dear Prudence” 3:56
3. “Blackbird” 2:18
4. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Harrison) 4:45
5. “Julia” 2:54
6. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” 3:08
7. “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” 2:43
Side 2
1. “I’m So Tired” 2:03
2. “Birthday” 2:42
3. “Yer Blues” 4:01
4. “Savoy Truffle” (Harrison) 2:54
5. “Sexy Sadie” 3:15
6. “Helter Skelter” 4:29
7. “Good Night” 3:11
I’m trying to think as they might have. “Julia”, about John’s mother, wouldn’t be cut. Most of the other songs, notably “I Will”, would have shown up in other albums, either by the Beatles or solo. “Rocky Raccoon” is the cut I least enjoyed making.
Alternately, “Ob-la-di” is the single, b/w “Savoy Truffle”. but that involves perhaps a different song selection altogether.

What sayest thou?

ABC Wednesday
ROG

An autumnal meme

Happy Columbus Day! Happy Thanksgiving, Canadian colleagues!

Via Mr. Frog:

Have you ever been apple picking?
Why yes, though not recently.

Is there a dish you make/eat only during this time of the year?
Pumpkin pie. It’s not nearly my favorite pie, but if tradition demands, tradition demands.

Will you attend a tail gate party this season?
Have I EVER gone to a tailgate party? Maybe inadvertently – someone was tailgating and invited me to join, but I’d say no.

When do you turn on the heat?
The heat comes on automatically when my fingers turn blue while I’m inside the house. Actually, the heat turns on automatically when the house temp goes below some threshold; it’s been on at least one night already.

How many sweaters do you own?
Probably four, but I’m never sure. My wife put them away last spring and I have no idea where they are.

Are you fond of Nouveau Beaujolais wine?
Je ne comprends pas.

Do you get excited about Halloween?
I did even into my twenties, then not so much. I do now because my daughter is trick-or-treating, and since she’s allergic to peanuts, my wife and I can swipe her Sanheim swag.

How about Thanksgiving?
I feel real ambivalence about Thanksgiving. On the one hand I am thankful for what I have. On the other hand, it often feels like a real hassle, either going to the in-laws or, on a couple occasions, hosting my in-laws. No offense to my in-laws, many of whom live less than an hour and a quarter away, but it’s one of those times when my tiny birth family’s distance really bugs me. Also, I’ve had some really crummy Thanksgivings in the past, probably none worse than being invited to someone’s house, then having the invitation withdrawn – for reasons that were unclear – the day before; I sulked on takeout Chinese that year.

Is there an activity you do only in the autumn?
Well, rake leaves, which I add to the compost pile. I usually wait until Veterans Day.

Have you ever burned leaves?
Years ago.

Do you own any ‘scarecrow’ decorations?
I don’t believe so.

Do you plant bulbs?
A few years ago, we planted tulips on an extremely mild December 1. I think Carol still does, but I’ve lost my gardening mojo.

Your fondest autumn memory?
It was a party in 1987…well, that’s all you get.

When does fall begin for you?
When I need a warmer jacket. Sometimes it’s September 15, other years it’s more like November. It’s definitely fall now; I need gloves to ride my bike.

What is your favorite aspect of fall?
I love playoff baseball, football starting around Thanksgiving.

What do you like to drink in the fall?
Hot chocolate.

What is fall weather like where you live?
It seems so variable. It usually gets gradually, or occasionally suddenly cooler. Often, there is a temperature recovery for a few days, before it gets colder and windy I associate November with a dance of the dead leaves.

What color is fall?
Orange-red-yellow-brown.

Do you have a favorite fall chore?
I believe “favorite” and “chore” don’t belong in the same sentence.

What is your least favorite thing about fall?
That impending feeling of death. One fall about four years ago, a friend of mine, the husband of another friend of mine, and the mother of still another friend of mine all died, and I ended up at all of those funerals. And there were others for which I did not attend the service because of distance.

What is your favorite fall holiday?
It used to be Columbus Day because Lydia’s day care was open, Carol and I had it off from work, and we could go on a date (lunch and/or movie), but her day care’s closed this year. So, I pick Veterans Day: the notion of a war to end all wars is so appealing, if ultimately unreachable.

What’s your favorite kind of pie?
Almost any fruit pie: strawberry-rhubarb, apple, blueberry, cherry.

Do you have a favorite fall book?
No. Winter, yes, spring, yes.
***
What I’m recording tonight:
Koppel: The Last Lynching
TV-14 (LV)
Ted Koppel speaks with three Democratic delegates whose journeys to nominate Barack Obama took them through thornier moments in American racial history.
Discovery Channel, 10 pm, EDT (also early tomorrow morning at 2 am EDT).

ROG

A Cornucopia of Stuff

The good news here is that after six weeks of having her teeth wired shut, my wife Carol can now open her mouth. This doesn’t mean she can have steak, but she can have soft foods such as scrambled eggs. After a month and a half of not using one’s jaw, one must relearn to use it.
One problem is that she cannot yet open her mouth sufficiently to use her toothbrush, something she was REALLY looking forward to. Fortunately, her clever husband, quite possibly inspired by this workshop, suggested that Carol use a smaller toothbrush, and as it turned out, we had a couple replacement brushes for Lydia that Carol could use.
***
One of my sisters works for Wachovia bank – well, she did until there WAS no Wachovia. Like just about everyone dealing with a bank, she didn’t originally work for the former giant, but rather First Union out of Charlotte, NC, where my mother also used to work. But First Union got taken over up by Wachovia and now Wachovia is owned by Citicorp. It reminds me of fish in the food chain being swallowing up ever larger creatures. In any case, she still has a job, for now.
***
While my retiring Democratic Congressman, Mike McNulty , voted for the bailout, the frosh Congresswoman from the area, Kirsten Gillibrand , voted no. So did Maurice Hinchey, a liberal Dem from my old district, whose state Assembly campaign I supported in 1974. And of course, Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who’s been marginalized a lot this year, but is often correct. Someone sent me this alternative proposal; we’ll see if THAT passes.
Seriously, they’ll be some sort of deal soon, if only because there is no credit available for businesses large or small.
***
The Veep debate is tonight, and it ought to generate real interest, mostly to see if Sarah Palin will self-destruct. Based on her performances in the Alaska gubernatorial debates, excerpts of which can be found here, she may fare better than most people think. On the other hand, check out this link. After the 50 seconds of the Today show description of Tina Fey channeling Palin, you will watch a side-by-side comparison of Palin and Fey. As SamuraiFrog asked: “You know what the difference is between Tina Fey and a pit bull with lipstick? Tina Fey didn’t have to keep looking down at her notes.”
***
Bill Moyers’ interview with Andrew J. Bacevich on his book “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism”, which is “one in a series called the ‘American Empire Project.’ Several noted scholars and writers are examine American aspirations at home and abroad, looking for ways to foster democracy without succumbing to imperial ambitions.”
***
Because you need to know: an Internet Memes timeline.
***
That’s all I’ve got, but I’d be curious to get your reaction to my piece Is getting people interested in politics REALLY a good idea?

ROG

Tag, You’re It Meme

Patty tagged me. I swear I’ve done this before, but since the answer to at least the first question is changeable, and moreover, I am changeable, what the heck.

1. Where was I 10 years ago?

Ten years ago this very week, I traveled to Boston to appear on the TV show JEOPARDY! It did not air until November 9, so it was a royal pain in the whatever to fend off the questions about how well I did.

2. What was on my to-do list today?

The usual: take the daughter to day care. Go to the Y, riding my bike if the weather allows, riding the bus otherwise. Play racquetball, shower. Bus to work, eat shredded wheat. Work, home fpor dinner, try to squeeze in the news before bed.

The other stuff: call church so I can publicize an event (the visit of a theologian to our church next month) in another blog. Publicize the fact that a fellow board member of the Friends of the Albany Public Library Association is getting a prestigious award from the New York Library Association, something I nominated Dennis Mosley for. Try to write a blog post.

3. What would I do if I were a billionaire?

The first thing I’d do is hire a general contractor to get all the things in my house fixed all at once- the roof, the porch, the kitchen cabinets, the extra insulation. The one extravagence – some reasonably large TV with stero speakers. and a deck because my wife wants one. We’d move out until it was all done.
Money for college for Lydia.
Pay off the houses of my sisters and my wife’s brothers.
Contributions to church and various causes.
Travel to six continents.
Hire someone to organize papers and other “stuff”.

4. Five places I’ve lived

Binghamton, NY
Kingston, NY
New Paltz, NY
Charlotte, NC
Jamaica (Queens), NY

5. Bad Habits

My ability to misplace things
My tendency to be late
Emotional eating
Impatience with smokers; I understand they are people, too
My trending towards the melancholy

Oh, I’m not going to tag anyone. Wait, I will, for nefarious reasons:

Gordon, because the last time I tagged people I DIDN’T tag him and he seemed upset
Uthaclena, because it might increase his output
Jaquandor, in hope that it jump-starts him from his blogging lethargy.
Ditto for Librarian 2008
Kelly Brown, just because.
ROG