by John Walters
Pressed for time this morning, but at least we can get out Susie B’s daily list…
Greek Mythic
It was the first time this late into an NBA season that a pair of teams with fewer than five losses met. The Bucks (now 25-4) defeated the Lakers (now 24-5) 111-104 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s 34 points and five threes.
LeBron was the third-best player on the court last night. Just sayin’, and there’s no shame in that, Susie B. More miraculously the Bucks, who have the NBA’s best record, got points from THREE American-born white dudes: DiVancenzo, Korver and Connaughton. How often does that happen any more, if ever?
Cross Words
The magazine Christianity Today—we love their annual Saints in Swimsuits issue—in a blistering editorial yesterday, called for president Trump to be removed from office.
“The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents,” Mark Galli, the editor in chief of Christianity Today, wrote in the editorial. “That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.”
A little late to the party, Mark, but at least—and this is something meaningful to Christians—you’ve finally seen the light. Of course, if you’re asking the type of people who subscribe to Christianity Today to choose between the publication’s stated ideals and Donald Trump, well, I hate to tell you but…
White Wing Movement
Last summer I was serving beers to an American Airlines pilot (he wasn’t flying that day) and we were discussing his industry. “You know why American is the 12th-rated domestic airline?” he asked me. No, I answered. Why? “Because there aren’t 13 domestic airlines.”
Consumers apparently agree. In a recent poll by consumer watchdog site Which? Travel, American Airlines was rated worst among domestic carriers for long-haul flights.
Then again, unless you’re flying Emirates, all other airlines are the same.
Five Films: 1979
- Apocalypse Now: Charlie doesn’t surf. Francis Ford Coppola’s mash-up of Vietnam and Heart of Darkness was a truly original film, a wild ride. Martin Sheen would be the first member of his family to star in an Oscar-nominated Best Picture Vietnam film, and this one should’ve won. 2. Breaking Away: Pretty much a perfect film. Is it a sports film? No, it’s a coming of age movie starring Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern—who’d go on to be the narrator in a great coming-of-age TV show a decade later—and Kelly Leak from Bad News Bears. 3. The In-Laws: “Serpentine! Serpentine!” Alan Arkin and Peter Falk are terrific in a thrown-together buddy film. 4. The Great Santini: Hello, sports fans. Was Robert Duvall channeling his Colonel Kilgore from No. 1 on this list to play Col. Bull Meechum, or was it the other way around? Essentially the same character, but a terrific movie. With Blythe Danner, they quintessential southern wife in numerous films. 5. Warriors: “Warriors, come out and play-ay!” This is sort of Adventure Race/Eco-Challenge New York City, back in the grimy and crime-ridden Seventies. Now, I never bought for a second that the leader of the Warriors was from Brooklyn, but let it go.
I’ve totally ignored some of the year’s biggest films: Alien (never saw), Kramer vs. Kramer and Norma Rae.
Is the film list going to 2019? Breaking away, a great film.
I didn’t see the game as I’m not watching ANY Lakers games except the night Sweet Pea passes Kobe on the All-Time Scoring list & that will be some time in mid January. However, I do keep track of all of LBJ’s main 3 “numbers” in each game. He had a Triple Double but he only scored 21 & what have I said about him needing to score at least 25….?) Anyhoo, in their defense, his team has essentially been on a MONTH LONG ROAD TRIP. From Thanksgiving to last night, they had about 3 home games & 3 different road trips, this last being the longest & last night’s game was the 5th/final of that group. And, as most folks know, he’s about to turn 35 (in 2 weeks) & in NBA years (the human equivalent of “dog years”) that means he’s MY AGE! What other pre-retiree NBA player has ever played like my Sweet Pea is doing right now? Nooooobody, that’s who! Certainly not Jordan! Not Kareem either.
I actually get very sad when thinking about LBJ as I so miss watching him play but I’m still FURIOUS he chose to play for THAT stinkin team & live in LA.
I must say for a pre-retiree, he still looks MIGHTY FINE! 🙂
So, what WAS I watching last night? Glad you asked. You may remember me mentioning that Comcast has EGREGIOUSLY cut off TCM unless we pay their EXTORTION which I will NOT, so I have not seen ANY ‘Christmas Carols’ this season, not one, & you know how I just MUST get my Scrooge & redemption fix every year so when I read that FX was doing a new version, starring that modern-day Alec Guinness, the Aussie chameleon Guy Pearce, I was so there. How was it? Um, it was DARK. And I mean that in every sense of the friggin word. 1st of all, the STORY was barely recognizable (including Scrooge propositioning Mrs Cratchit, who has come to him pleading for a loan to save Tiny Tim’s life & we see her strip… are they freakin KIDDING?!) & it was shot seemingly without any light to emulate night I guess, but g’damn, I could BARELY make out what was happening on screen. It was so dark, it seemed shot in Black & White. It lasted over 3 hours but seemed even longer & I kept watching because I kept thinking we’d eventually get to the big payoff (redemption) scene but they even changed that. I was LIVID! The last time I was this angry at a Christmas Carol blasphemy was ‘Scrooged’, which YOU probably liked, but I HATED. I think Pearce is a great actor & especially like him in his Aussie TV movies/mini-series ‘Jack Irish’ but even he could not save this horrific pile of, er, I mean, distorted interpretation of a classic. 🙁
And speaking of “horrific” – have you seen any of the reviews of Cats, the movie? They make the negative reviews of the new Star Wars movie sound like my old gushing over Sweet Pea! Owwwwww! However, I am hopeful – since I HATE that Broadway show (almost as much as that new Xmas Carol travesty) & these critics apparently like/loved the theatrical version, I’m thinking I just may LIKE what they hate! Still, I’ll wait till it comes to TV.
As for 1979 – I’ve shockingly never seen Apocalypse Now. I keep meaning to & yet, never do. Loved Breaking Away, sat thru ’10’ to see what all the fuss was about (a beautiful girl sporting a hairstyle that really wasn’t all that becoming on her) , was scared outta my seat, as was most America, while watching The China Syndrome (SOON to be replicated in real life!), stood up & cheered for Norma Rae/Sally Field, relived some of my childhood with Star Trek – The Motion Picture (after being cancelled 10 years previously on TV, Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, Checkov, Sulu, & Uhura come soaring back into our lives on the BIG SCREEN), & watched Mickey Rooney go “full circle” with The Black Stallion (he’d co-starred in the original National Velvet).
I saw Rocky II too, but it’s my least fave of the Rockys 1-5. And I’ve always been torn over Kramer vs Kramer; sure make the self-centered husband take care of the kid for once but actually WALKING AWAY from said kid to “go find yourself”? It was lauded as this big feminist storyline, but I disagree. The kid was adorable & Hoffman was good in the role but that it won 5 Oscars? Puhleeze.
I didn’t see Alien until after seeing Aliens & even though both are “science fiction”, they are SCARY AS SH*T, more along the lines of horror films. However, both star Sigorney Weaver as an UBER FEMINIST. When she takes down ”that bitch”, you’ll be cheering.
My favorite movie of the year is your #3 but my #1 : The In-Laws. Falk & Arkin were hysterical together & “serpentine, serpentine!” gets me laughing still.
I did actually go to a theatre & pay money to see Beyond the Poseidon Adventure because of course I did! The boat wasn’t sinking but upside down in the ocean & I took what I could get. 🙂 Michael Caine & Sally Field were IN it, I just watched.
And a movie I somehow tragically missed & just now learned of its existence – The Concorde – Airport 1979, starring guess who, just guess. George Kennedy. 🙂