Movie Monday

Top Gun
Dir: Tony Scott (1986)

Well, I finally got around to seeing this movie. I had somehow missed out in it all these years. Don't get me wrong, I was familiar with it and had seen many scenes before. However, I had never watched it in its entirety. This is even more surprising when you consider my family owned it as soon as it came out on VHS.

My father was serving in the Army at that time and we were stationed in Germany. Top Gun came out and was a HUGE hit. After its theatrical run, it came out on VHS. I believe it may have been one of the earlier "must haves" on VHS. It was so popular, my mother went out to the PX on base and bought a copy even before we owned a VCR. My two older brothers were very excited to watch it, and so the family did as soon as we got a VCR at Christmas that year. I was too young to really appreciate the movie, so I got bored and went to play in the other room. And it has taken until this day for me to watch the movie from start to finish.

I am kind of sad that I had not watched the movie sooner, since I really liked it. On the other hand, it was nice to watch it with fresh eyes, and appreciate it as a "time capsule" to a "simpler" time. The US military was a powerhouse, the Ruskies were the bad guys, Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise were hot, and things were looking up for America in general. The movie served as another excellent blockbuster, "chest thumping" experience for viewers. Sales of bomber jackets and Ray-ban sunglasses skyrocketed after the movie came back. I believe I remember that my oldest brother got some shortly thereafter. The movie personified the Regan era at its best.

The quality of the movie still holds up. I was surprised that there really was not that much "80s vibe" to it. The only part of the movie that kind of stood out was the beach volleyball scene, and I can accept that it was mainly included for the women in the audience. Hairdos were never too big, and clothing not too outlandish. Ok..."Take my Breath Away" is still cheesy, but nostalgic. In spite of this, the real excitement came from the airborne dogfights.

The F-14 Tomcat was one of the best planes in the US arsenal at that time. Many young men thought they were the coolest things at that time (myself included.) My older brothers had a couple posters featuring the plane, and I remember they put together models of them as well. I remember seeing some of them flyby overhead one day, and being blown away by their speeds. The aerial portions of the movie are top-notch. I was quite impressed, and amazed at the camera angles they were able to get while filming. Yet another example of why CGI can lessen the impact of action sequences. With time, effort (and money) the filmmakers were able to pull off some amazing stunts. I can only imagine what people in the theater thought when they first saw these sequences.   

Music Sunday

Eveline Fischer: Simian Segue"
DK Jamz: Donkey Kong Country Official Soundtrack
YouTube Video / Wikipedia Article

I know it is not Gaming Saturday, but I really want to add a few video game soundtracks to the mix. I find that I get quite a few soundtracks to movies, television shows, and video games. I guess I do that because modern composers tend to put their efforts into soundtracks as opposed to just writing stand-alone pieces.

Anyway, there are a lot of video game soundtracks that hold special places in my heart. Whenever I hear certain songs, I am instantly transported back to the time I was playing that game. The entire Donkey Kong Country soundtrack does that for me. I vividly remember getting it as a gift and playing it on the Super Nintendo. I even remember the time I convinced my parents to let me bring my game system up to Ohio when we went to spend the holidays with my grandparents. I would often escape to the old TV upstairs and play the game while listening to the songs for each level. As is always the case in games, I am most familiar with the songs from the early stages since those are the ones I replayed the most.

This soundtrack stands out in my mind as being especially catchy and well orchestrated when compared to the other Super NES soundtracks at the time. Each song sounds unique, while still staying true to the jungle theme. I consider myself lucky enough to have found this soundtrack at a used CD store several years ago. I think it makes great driving music, and I often listen to it while on long drives. Even though video game soundtracks have improved in terms of instrumentation, nostalgia will always allow me to appreciate the early music as well.  

Gaming Saturday

Prezcon (Official Site)
Charlottesville, VA

I just went to Prezcon for the first time today. Even though I had lived in Charlottesville for several years, I had somehow been unaware of the fact that this convention was only a few minutes away. Apparently, they have been having the convention at the Double Tree in C'ville for at least ten years. Now that I live 3+ hours a way, I decided to make my first visit. Well, better late than never.

The convention runs for most of the week, with the majority of the events Thursday through Sunday. The main reason most people go to the convention is to find opportunities to play games with other people. It sounds like those who regularly attend all know each other and look forward to meeting up for another week of gaming. There is "open gaming" throughout the entire convention. They have set up many large tables in some of the big rooms at the hotel and make them available for anyone to use. You can bring your own games, or if you registered, you can borrow games from the library. The library is a great opportunity for people to try out games without investing in them. The library also contains games that are now out of print.

While open gaming is fun for everyone, there are those who are even more competitive. The other main reason for going to the convention is for people to take part in tournaments and championships. Prezcon puts on LOTS of internal tournaments, but they are also the designated convention to hold certain national championships for a few games. If you win a tournament you get a nifty plaque. I guess you might think they were cool if you were one of the regulars. Me...I think they look a bit silly.

 I did not take part in any of the gaming. I mainly went to see what the game auction was like. Prezcon had the auction split between Family Games, War Games, and Collectibles. Attendees contribute games to the auction. Then the auctioneers  collect the money, take a cut, and give the remainder to the person who left the game. I guess it is basically like a consignment shop. The auction is a great opportunity for people to get rid of games they no longer play (or often times NEVER played) and recoup some of their money to undoubtedly go towards new games. It also is a good chance for people to snap up games that have interested them, but they did not want to pay full price. Most of the games went for very reasonable prices, however there were some of the older, out-of-print games that went for a pretty penny. Still, nothing I saw sold for more than $100.00, which is what you will pay for some of the games being released in today's market. There was only one or two obvious dealers there who were interested in buying the games in order to resell them for a profit. They got a lot of the games, but were not too obnoxious about out-bidding people who might actually want the games to play.

For those who might be intimidated by the prospect of bidding, or for games that are not "worthy" of being auctioned off, Prezcon also has the Auction Shop. It is a big flea market in which all the games are already priced. Each game has three prices that go down incrementally throughout the course of the afternoon. Some games were in both the shop as well as in the auction proper. It seemed like you were probably able to get a better deal by bidding in the auction since the shop prices tended to be a bit higher than how the bidding went. 

[As an aside: I was very intrigued to witness the people who were "game collectors." There were many old war games from the 70s and 80s that excited these guys. It was also significant when the games were shrink wrapped or at least the pieces were "unpunched." One game, called Seelöwe, was listed as being "unpunched" and sold for $52.00. The buyer looked at it and noticed that the pieces were in fact already punched. The auctioneer, realizing he had led the buyer astray, agreed to take it back and sell it again with the new description. The second time it sold was for only $24.00. According to eBay, other people are trying to sell it for $70.00. These collectors must understand what it all means better than I do.]  

Food Friday

Nacho Mamas (offical site)
Canton Neighborhood - Baltimore, MD

In short, it bills itself as an "Elvis lounge and Mexican hangout." Walls covered with velvet Elvis prints, old Baltimore Colts memorabilia and a plethora of Baltimore's famous National Bohemian Beer (Natty Boh to those in the know)signage. What more can I say? The restaurant is located on O'Donnell Square in Canton near the harbor in Baltimore, MD. The place is not that large, but it does have very tasty food. Prices tend to be between $8.00-$15.00, with some outliers. It is especially noted for its "hubcaps." They are actual old hubcaps filled with margarita. Yummy and cost efficient if shared between friends. One should not try and consume a hubcap solo, although I did see a regular belly-up to the bar one afternoon and polish one off by the time we finished lunch. I have tried a few things there, but I keep coming back to their BBQ Pulled Pork whenever it is on special. The BBQ sauce is made with apple cider and is sweet with just a hint of spiciness. It is served with their black beans and green rice (cilantro). They also serve waffle fries. Waffle fries! Granted, I prefer sweet potato fries, but you won't see me turn down waffle cuts either.

Television Thursday

Exosquad
(1993-1994)

Whew! I have just gone on a marathon viewing of the series. I had forgotten that Hulu was about to have the streaming series expire. I remember watching the show when it was on TV, but that was during a time when I did not regularly watch TV. I missed out on most of the episodes, only catching on every now and again. I remember liking it a lot, so I was thrilled when I saw that Hulu had it on streaming. I am amazed that it still holds up so well. 

It tells the story of how the remaining humans fight back against an uprising of Neosapians. The humans created the Neo's to be genetically superior workers, but as always happens, they revolt. As far as the story goes, it feels very similar to the recent Battlestar Galactica series as well as Space: Above and Beyond that was airing at the same time as Exosquad. Exosquad set itself apart from the majority of the cartoons at that time because of the way it presented itself. It was sci-fi and quite serial with its plotlines. The show was also rather dramatic. People had conflicts, beat each other up, were imprisoned in concentration camps, and even got killed. I watched a great deal of GI JOE back in the day, but people always ejected before they got killed. Exosquad may not show blood, but people end up dead.

Many people describe it as America's first Anime, and that might be true. It was well animated and voice-acted. Burning my way through the series still keeps me engaged even today. Seeing oppression and the ugly side of war seemed very extraordinary to me at the time, and it is still unusual to see in a "kids" cartoon. Sadly, the series will expire on Hulu soon. That would not be so bad if they had ever released the series out on DVD. Perhaps it will come out either on DVD, Blu-ray, or even digital download sometime. I think people would really get into the show if it got better support and advertising. Yet another short-lived show that was better than people ever expected it to be.

Book Wednesday

FAO Schwarz Toys for a Lifetime
Stevanne Auerbach (1999)

I love toys, so you can be sure that I was pleased to find this book at a book sale. It only cost me a buck or so, and it is well worth it. Some people stop playing with toys as they grow up and I think that is unfortunate. Toys can be part of a lifelong pursuit of happiness. I still enjoy going to the store and looking at all of the new toys on the shelves. To some extent the old adage rings true, "They don't make 'em like they used to." I miss all the old toys of my childhood: GI Joes, He-man, M.A.S.K., Smurfs, Transformers, etc. True, there has been a recent resurgence in putting out new versions of 80s toys, but they don't seem to be made as well anymore. Perhaps it is just the lack of wide-eyed excitement that used to coincide with opening a new toy, but looking at the quality of toys nowadays just doesn't inspire me in the same way. However, that is not true for all the new toys out there. There are still plenty I see on the shelf that I really wish I could buy. LEGO and Playmobil keep coming out with new themes and features. I know that I would have begged my parents to buy some for me. Now I have to weigh their cost with how much I really need one. Bah! Being an adult is lame sometimes.

Anyway, about the book. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in toys. You can usually find it online for relatively low prices (less than $5.00.) It is a nice, full-color, hardback book with information about 100+ toys. Each chapter focuses on a different type of toy: Starting Out -Toys for the first years of life; Building Blocks - Stepping stones to creativity; Arts & Crafts - Terrific tools for the artist-to-be; Dolls, Stuffed Animals, and Action Figures - Companions to discovery and friends for life; Games - Challenge and competition for all ages; Transportation Toys - Planes, trains, and automobiles; Silly Fun - Educated nonsense; Outdoor Toys - Pathways to athletic adventure; and Future Toys - Trends toward tech. Each chapter features several toys with pictures and brief histories. You can discover why LEGO got its name, and hundreds of other trivia tidbits. All in all a fun read that might teach you something new. Plus, it will probably remind you of some toys you had forgotten you missed. Oh Colorforms and Spirograph, where have you gone?  

Art Tuesday

Scott Campbell (official blog and show blog)
Great Showdowns at Gallery 1988

I first discovered Scott C's artwork during one of Gallery 1988's Crazy 4 Cult shows. These art shows have been an annual tradition for this gallery. The gallery itself tends to focus on art that pertains to pop culture, particularly that of the 80s. The Crazy 4 Cult show features a variety of artists that have been chosen to contribute art that relates to films that are "cult classics." Scott C has contributed several pieces to the shows, as well as creating the show poster for the 2nd iteration of the show. This poster details a "family tree" of cult classic movies.

Scott just opened his own show in February at the gallery, titled "Great Showdowns." These "showdowns" have been some of his most popular paintings. He has produced hundreds of them and they can be viewed and purchased at the gallery or online. I love his almost child-like painting style. The fact that they are not photorealistic representations of the characters just adds to the whimsical nature. Most of the colors he uses are earth tones which I think also adds to the natural feel of his art. The characters featured in his paintings also always look happy to see each other, even if they are enemies in the movie. I appreciate how his interpretation of "showdown" does not necessarily mean that the characters are antagonists. Sometimes they just represent awesome meetings in film. Scott also uses anthropomorphic versions of non-sentient characters to rather humorous effect. Can you name all the movies featured in these showdowns?

 Scott has also contributed his amazing skills as art director for the independent game developer Double Fine. This company is headed by video game alum Tim Schafer.  Scott has helped work on the very fun and unique games Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. I love the fact that his art is able to be seen by even more people via video games. I look forward to seeing what else he produces over the years.

Movie Monday

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Dir: Stanley Kramer (1967)

I always look forward to the month preceding the Academy Awards. The reason for this is that Turner Classic Movies puts on their annual "31 Days of Oscar" celebration. Their entire selection of programming focuses on movies that either garnered Oscar nominations or wins. TCM also usually groups the movies by certain themes so it is easier for viewers to watch similar movies. This celebration also provides me with the opportunity to catch up on movies I either never heard of, or had just never gotten around to watching.

One movie that I had always known was important, but had never seen was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Now that I have finally seen it, I wish I had seen it sooner. The story revolves around a young couple who fall in love after a whirlwind romance in Hawaii. The young couple are John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) and Joey Drayton (Katharine Houghton). Joey decides she wants John to meet her parents and surprise them with news of their upcoming nuptials. Joey's parents are Matt and Christina Drayton (Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn respectively.) During the course of the movie, John's parents are also invited to come and dine with the Draytons.

I had always known that this movie was significant due to the fact that it bore witness to the difficulties of interracial couples in the 60s. However, I did not realize just how funny and heartwarming the film was as a whole. Every time I watch a classic film with spectacular actors, I am reminded just how far the majority of today's cinema has fallen. Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, and Cecil Kellaway (playing a minor, yet significant role as a family friend) all light up the screen in everyone of their scenes. The dynamics between all of the characters are very believable and never seemed too over the top. I did not realize this was Spencer Tracy's last film while I was watching it, but looking back, I can really see why Katherine Hepburn's interactions with him resonated so much. Tracy is the most conflicted character in the movie and is concerned for the long-term well-being of his daughter. It was funny to see him play this role, since I had also just seen him play a similar role in his Father of the Bride (way better than the 90s remake with Steve Martin.) Hepburn is feisty and protective as usual. If you need proof, check out this video. As a side-note, you really cannot get much classier than Sidney Poitier. All I can say is that he rocks!

I found this alternate version for the movie's poster created for TCM in 2009. I love the minimalist style and overall effect. It was created by a company called One Trick Pony. Their portfolio indicates they have made several posters for TCM.