I'm getting sick as I return to work after a mostly-healthy three-day layoff. Wooooooo
30 thoughts on “November 29, 2016: Although There’s No Good Time, Really”
I too am coming down with something; I noticed a couple days ago that my teeth/jaw on the left side were sore, and some sloshing noise at times in my left ear. Now the back of my throat is starting up. Too early for grievances, though.
A Buckaroo Banzai TV series? I'm not a Kevin Smith fan, but I know he reveres the original movie and would hopefully treat the material with kid gloves...if legal can figure things out.
I am always wary of remakes, whether big screen or small. But I'd no doubt watch.
The Friday Night Lights series was better than the movie. I'd say Fargo was pretty close to the quality of the original.
Other than that, they generally stink.
I agree on FNL, but I think it's also a good case where if there's a remake that you want to enjoy, you can't get too caught up in the details. Relative to the book, the FNL TV series has a lot of differences in detail. And even though it does cover a lot of the same ground, I'd say that fundamentally it's a more rose-tinted take on the subject because it's easier to get people to read a couple hundred pages about something that may be upsetting versus getting them to come back week after week (or hour after hour in the case of binge watching) for something that isn't at least somewhat uplifting.
I mean, I finished reading the book and felt like abolishing football would be a pretty good idea. But watching the show, you're kind of left with this feeling of "I guess I wouldn't mind my kids spending some time with Coach Taylor, he seems like a pretty good guy, could teach them some things."
Fargo and Parenthood also changed quite a bit from the movies and it worked pretty well.
Yeah, you could say that again. I checked out this list of TV programs based on films from Wikipedia and there is a lot of stuff there I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. I think you could probably add MASH, In the Heat of the Night, and Westworld. Probably Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well, though that genre never particularly interested me. That's still an awfully low hit rate.
The M*A*S*H movie was awful (book was pretty good). I don't think I smiled once.
Robert Altman - say no more.
Seriously? The MASH movie was great, as was In The Heat of the Night.
Buffy, on the other hand.... That movie was a tragevesty.
When was the last time you watched the M*A*S*H movie? It has not aged well. The humor or the...sophomoric...detritus.
I tried to watch a few years back. It was not enjoyable.
My mentor is a scholar (and survivor) of the Sixties. A few years back Mrs. Hayes & I audited a course he taught on Sixties cinema & culture. M*A*S*H was easily the worst film we watched, surpassing even Antonioni's Blowup. Both are worth watching for cultural history, but I'd never recommend them for any other reason. The conversations both sparked about sexism & the counterculture were fascinating, particularly with three generations of women (Boomers, Mrs. Hayes, and Millenial undergrads) central to the mix.
I guess I will need to re-watch and re-assess. Haven't seen it in decades.
My dad's favorite movie was Midnight Cowboy, which he saw in 1969. He saw it again in 1999, and he was like, well, it's pretty good still, but...
Many comedies don't seem to transcend time. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. 80 years old and I laughed out loud several times.
I loved Midnight Cowboy.
It isn't really a comedy, though it has comedic scenes and moments here and there. Not sure if you were referring to this or making a new point.
new point. My dad never described it as a comedy either. He just said when he saw it in 1969 it was mind-blowing like The Matrix was for our generation. It was two hours of complete shock and awe 50 years ago.
I try to consider movies within the proper context, and I haven't watched a whole lot of classics, but the comedies I've seen haven't done much for me. M*A*S*H being one. The Graduate being another.
Philosofette's aunt (-in-law) passed away. Not the closest relation, but family we saw a couple times a year, so some connection there. Because of the way schedules are working out, we will be bringing all 4 kids to the wake tonight. I know 2016 has been rough for everyone, but this will be the 3rd wake our kids will be going to this year, all family (their cousin, their great grandpa, and now their great-aunt). I worry about the effect this exposure will have on them. Conversely, I think they seem marvelously adjusted to this sort of thing.
Sorry to hear that. Your family is in our prayers.
My kids had to go to funerals I think every year from age ~6-20. Cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, neighbors, teachers... in some small piece it probably prepared them to deal with the death of their mother.
Death is a part of life and shouldn't be shielded from kids, even small ones. In no way am I implying that you have or wish you could. But something we should all keep in mind.
They have a wonderful, supportive family, so my guess is they deal with it well.
Sorry to hear it. I have a feeling the kids will be all right if they're exposed to healthy sorrow and see that life goes on.
Did I ever tell you about the time I lost a kid at a funeral and found him alongside the casket amidst the grieving family saying their final farewells? They were gracious folk about the whole thing, but I'd recommend avoiding that if possible.
This is quite believable.
My condolences.
So sorry, Philo. It has been a tough year.
In happier(?) news, I recently found out a former employer has, in the two years since I left, continued to experience management-related staffing issues. Basically >50% turnover in that office since that time, and they're having trouble filling/retaining positions at all. Truly, it was them not me.
If only they didn't serve people who need help...
Hang in there with one another, Philos.
Props to the sound guy in Vancouver who played Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" after the Wild scored an early away goal.
I too am coming down with something; I noticed a couple days ago that my teeth/jaw on the left side were sore, and some sloshing noise at times in my left ear. Now the back of my throat is starting up. Too early for grievances, though.
A Buckaroo Banzai TV series? I'm not a Kevin Smith fan, but I know he reveres the original movie and would hopefully treat the material with kid gloves...if legal can figure things out.
I am always wary of remakes, whether big screen or small. But I'd no doubt watch.
The Friday Night Lights series was better than the movie. I'd say Fargo was pretty close to the quality of the original.
Other than that, they generally stink.
I agree on FNL, but I think it's also a good case where if there's a remake that you want to enjoy, you can't get too caught up in the details. Relative to the book, the FNL TV series has a lot of differences in detail. And even though it does cover a lot of the same ground, I'd say that fundamentally it's a more rose-tinted take on the subject because it's easier to get people to read a couple hundred pages about something that may be upsetting versus getting them to come back week after week (or hour after hour in the case of binge watching) for something that isn't at least somewhat uplifting.
I mean, I finished reading the book and felt like abolishing football would be a pretty good idea. But watching the show, you're kind of left with this feeling of "I guess I wouldn't mind my kids spending some time with Coach Taylor, he seems like a pretty good guy, could teach them some things."
Fargo and Parenthood also changed quite a bit from the movies and it worked pretty well.
Yeah, you could say that again. I checked out this list of TV programs based on films from Wikipedia and there is a lot of stuff there I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. I think you could probably add MASH, In the Heat of the Night, and Westworld. Probably Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well, though that genre never particularly interested me. That's still an awfully low hit rate.
The M*A*S*H movie was awful (book was pretty good). I don't think I smiled once.
Robert Altman - say no more.
Seriously? The MASH movie was great, as was In The Heat of the Night.
Buffy, on the other hand.... That movie was a tragevesty.
When was the last time you watched the M*A*S*H movie? It has not aged well. The humor or the...sophomoric...detritus.
I tried to watch a few years back. It was not enjoyable.
My mentor is a scholar (and survivor) of the Sixties. A few years back Mrs. Hayes & I audited a course he taught on Sixties cinema & culture. M*A*S*H was easily the worst film we watched, surpassing even Antonioni's Blowup. Both are worth watching for cultural history, but I'd never recommend them for any other reason. The conversations both sparked about sexism & the counterculture were fascinating, particularly with three generations of women (Boomers, Mrs. Hayes, and Millenial undergrads) central to the mix.
I guess I will need to re-watch and re-assess. Haven't seen it in decades.
My dad's favorite movie was Midnight Cowboy, which he saw in 1969. He saw it again in 1999, and he was like, well, it's pretty good still, but...
Many comedies don't seem to transcend time. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. 80 years old and I laughed out loud several times.
I loved Midnight Cowboy.
It isn't really a comedy, though it has comedic scenes and moments here and there. Not sure if you were referring to this or making a new point.
new point. My dad never described it as a comedy either. He just said when he saw it in 1969 it was mind-blowing like The Matrix was for our generation. It was two hours of complete shock and awe 50 years ago.
I try to consider movies within the proper context, and I haven't watched a whole lot of classics, but the comedies I've seen haven't done much for me. M*A*S*H being one. The Graduate being another.
Philosofette's aunt (-in-law) passed away. Not the closest relation, but family we saw a couple times a year, so some connection there. Because of the way schedules are working out, we will be bringing all 4 kids to the wake tonight. I know 2016 has been rough for everyone, but this will be the 3rd wake our kids will be going to this year, all family (their cousin, their great grandpa, and now their great-aunt). I worry about the effect this exposure will have on them. Conversely, I think they seem marvelously adjusted to this sort of thing.
Sorry to hear that. Your family is in our prayers.
My kids had to go to funerals I think every year from age ~6-20. Cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, neighbors, teachers... in some small piece it probably prepared them to deal with the death of their mother.
Death is a part of life and shouldn't be shielded from kids, even small ones. In no way am I implying that you have or wish you could. But something we should all keep in mind.
They have a wonderful, supportive family, so my guess is they deal with it well.
Sorry to hear it. I have a feeling the kids will be all right if they're exposed to healthy sorrow and see that life goes on.
Did I ever tell you about the time I lost a kid at a funeral and found him alongside the casket amidst the grieving family saying their final farewells? They were gracious folk about the whole thing, but I'd recommend avoiding that if possible.
This is quite believable.
My condolences.
So sorry, Philo. It has been a tough year.
In happier(?) news, I recently found out a former employer has, in the two years since I left, continued to experience management-related staffing issues. Basically >50% turnover in that office since that time, and they're having trouble filling/retaining positions at all. Truly, it was them not me.
If only they didn't serve people who need help...
Hang in there with one another, Philos.
Props to the sound guy in Vancouver who played Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" after the Wild scored an early away goal.