Long Deserved Long Weekend

As I keep explaining to my friends and family, summer is a busy time for us radio folk.  We're live on location from just about every fair and festival that comes along, and it's no exception for us small market guys.  For all of June, it seemed like I was on location from another small town fair.  I actually enjoy it, because you get to be outside on nice days, and occasionally slip away for a corn dog or to check out the events.  But it does get taxing.  Everything peaked with Canada Day.  Once that was in the bag, I decided to take July 8 off and treat myself to a long weekend.

I really should take more time off, because I love going to the city in the middle of a weekday.  Things are so quiet.  You can go at your own pace.  And I figured it was the perfect time to get some chores done.  My car was due for an oil change, so I got that done.  With that came a twinge of sadness.  See, I hang a new air freshener in my car every time I get an oil change.  About two years ago, at Canadian Tire, I grabbed a pack of Star Wars air fresheners.  And with this oil change, the last Star Wars air freshener was done.  Went to Canadian Tire across the way to get more, but they had none.  So I went with the traditional pine tree.

From there, it was off to my usual haunts.  Went browsing for new Blu-Rays.  With a new Star Trek movie on the horizon, of course all the Star Trek movies have been re-released.  I was on the fence about picking up the director's cut of Wrath of Khan, but when I saw it for just $10, I figured, "Why not?"

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jul 8, 2016 at 10:18pm PDT

B A friend on Facebook asked if it was worth getting Wrath of Khan: The Director's Cut.  My reasoning was yes.  The original DVD release featured just the director's cut.  The original Blu-Ray featured just the theatrical version.  This new Blu-Ray has both versions, so it's the only way to get the director's cut in hi-def.  Plus, if you're more into the technical side of things, Wrath of Khan was the only Star Trek film where Paramount went back to the original negative and created a new hi-def transfer.  All the other films, all they did was up-convert the DVDs.  So it's also the best-looking version of Wrath of Khan.  Other than that, it's got all the bonus features of the previous DVD and Blu-Ray.  And besides...just $10.

Then over to West Edmonton Mall.  I was surprised.  A little busier than I expected for a Friday afternoon, but then I remembered that it is the start of summer, so the tourists are probably there.  West Edmonton Mall is no longer the largest shopping mall in the world -- I think there are, like, 5 in China that are ahead of it on the list -- but it's still the largest in North America, and that still makes it a pretty significant tourist draw.

Did my usual browsing, but again, there's not much out there right now that I truly want.  Yeah, there's some Blu-Rays I saw at HMV, but I felt no burning passion to own them, you know?  I don't know if it's depression or maturity, but I no longer feel the desire to blow entire paychecks on new Blu-Rays.  So I left HMV empty-handed.

But I was going upstairs to see a movie.  Pixar geek that I am, I had to see Finding Dory, and this was my first chance to do so.  Now, on the grand list of Pixar sequels that I desire, Finding Dory was pretty low on the list.  I really didn't think we needed a Finding Nemo 2.  I mean, they found Nemo.  Where else can we go with this story? 

Well, the creators say their entire inspiration came from one line in the original film.  When Dory first met Marlin, she describes her condition thusly:  "I suffer from short-term memory loss.  It runs in my family.  At least, I think it does.  Where are they?"  So their entire inspiration was that Dory wandered off when she was a little girl, and thanks to her short-term memory loss, forgot her way home.  So that's the movie.  Dory begins having flashes of memory of her parents and how to get home, so she, Marlin and Nemo set out to get her home.

This movie is definitely a lot more melancholy in tone than the first one.  It's shown in the colour palette, it's shown in Thomas Newman's score, and it works.  They wind up adding a real undercurrent of tragedy to Dory as she remembers her family, struggles vainly to hold on to those memories so she can get home, and then it just vanishes.  But the movie's still fun.  We get some fun new characters, like Hank the septopus (an octopus that lost an arm), and the cheery Destiny the whale shark and Baily the beluga whale.  I would put it at Pixar's second-best sequel.  Toy Story 3 still had the bigger emotional gut-punch.  I give it 3.5 Nibs.  Full review over on the main site.

That was Friday.  And I was off again to the city on Saturday.  For you see, Thursday was my birthday, and it's become traditional in my family to meet up with my parents, and they treat me to dinner and a movie.  What was my birthday movie this year?  Independence Day: Resurgence.  The first Independence Day was my birthday movie 20 years ago, so it just made sense.

Independence Day: Resurgence was fun, but....   I have the same complaint about it that I had about the remakes of RoboCop and Total Recall.  It was a little too slick...a little too polished.  The original had some kind of grit that the sequel was lacking.

I fully predicted Independence Day: Resurgence to be this year's Jurassic World:  just one great big, gigantic 1990s nostalgia trip.  But whereas Jurassic World felt free to get down in the muck of nostalgia and wallow, Independence Day: Resurgence seems more like a perfunctory checklist of things people liked about the original.  Landmark destruction?  Check.  President gives an inspirational speech?  Check.  Jeff Goldblum?  Check.

And the strange thing is, I kinda wish the movie was longer.  The original film had some breathing room, and we actually got a chance to get to know the characters.  In this one, we barely get a chance to meet the new saviors of humanity.

So, yeah.  It was fun, but...  I give it 3 Nibs.  Full review over on the website.

Then my parents took me to dinner at the Keg.  Wow.  I know, I know.  I'm enough of a small town rube that I consider the Olive Garden to be a fancy place.  So the Keg is super, duper fancy.  And there I was, wearing baggy shorts and my grubby T-shirt that I wore yesterday.  I felt mildly embarrassed just walking through the front door.  I explained to my parents that I barely go to real restaurants anymore.  Hell, I've been in Westlock for a little more than 3 years now, and there are still a bunch of popular local eateries that I haven't tried.  It's just because I have no social life, so when I go to a real restaurant, I feel mildly judged.

How I think people see me at a fast food place:  Look at that man.  No doubt he's heading home, and just stopped here for a quick bite.  Safe journey, weary traveler!

How I think people see me at a real restaurant:  It's Saturday night and he's here by himself?  Fuck that loser.

But I had a delightful meal with my parents, and then it was time to head home and record a podcast.

Yes, Saturday night was when I finally cracked open a bottle of Crystal Pepsi.  I won't rehash the details, because I recorded it all live on my podcast.  It's Pepsi, and it's clear.  And it's awesome.

Once I got home and uploaded my podcast, I decided to describe my day in meme-form.

And now, here we are on Sunday morning, and it's time to decompress.  Goof around online, do some blogging.  It's a grey, rainy day in Westlock as I write this up, so it'll be a Sunday of Netflix on the couch.  I'm so thrilled that I discovered that every Star Trek series is now on Netflix.  I've begun binging on season 2 of Enterprise.  That's the only season of Star Trek I've never seen, because it was on during my year in Japan.  I hadn't watched any Enterprise at all in such a long time.  I was watching the first five minutes, and I was like, "This doesn't seem so bad.  It seems like some classic Star Trek action.  Why did I loathe it so?"

And then they cue up the theme song.  Faith of the Heart, which was actually the theme song to the film Patch Adams, re-purposed.




And I'm like, "Oh.  Right." 

Crystal Pepsi Returns!

Had to take a break from my hiatus for a special installment of U62: U62: The TargThe Targ.  More specifically, a special installment of my segment “Mark Tastes Random Things.”  What random thing did I have to taste?

Crystal Pepsi.

I loved Crystal Pepsi back in the day.  It was Pepsi…THAT WAS CLEAR!  It was so awesome.  I personally felt it didn’t taste exactly like Pepsi.  When it went away, I was sad.  When I first launched this website, I had a page dedicated to my love for Crystal Pepsi.  I longed for its return.  So, when they announced it was coming back, I was elated.

When I got my hands on my first bottle, I knew I had to share it with you.  So I drink it live on the air, and tell you all about it.

So enjoy, The July Special: The Return of Crystal Pepsi!

Listen over on the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Lion King

Well, for the past few weeks on Fishing in the Discount Bin, I've been plowing through several of Disney's classics from the Disney Renaissance.  Looking through my notes, this stretch ends with The Lion King.  This is in my notes at October 4, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Aladdin

Here on Fishing in the Discount Bin, been going through my collection of Disney films, settling on the big four of the Disney Renaissance.  We get to film #3, Aladdin, today.  This is in my notes at October 3, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Beauty and the Beast

On Fishing in the Discount Bin, I'm on a bit of a Disney kick right now.  I continue with Beauty and the Beast.  This is originally in my notes at September 27, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Little Mermaid

I seem to be on a Disney Renaissance kick on Fishing in the Discount Bin, so I decided to keep it going.  This time out, I do The Little Mermaid.  This is in my notes at September 19, 2015.

TMNT 2 Review is Online

Went into the city today, but it really wasn't much to blog about.  Bought new shoes and saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.



I enjoyed it, gang.  It felt a lot more like a classic TMNT adventure than the last film.  I give it 3 out of 4 Nibs.  Full review over on the main site. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Hercules

 Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog about one of the many movies I own.  I'm a bit of a Disney rip right now, as we come across their animated epic of 1997, Hercules.  This is in my logs at September 12, 2015.

Netflix Nonsense - Always

Well, with summer rerun season upon us, time to make my streaming video services earn their keep.  I haven't decided what to binge upon yet, so I was going through the Netflix listings when I came across one of Steven Spielberg's lesser-known films, Always.  Given current events, I thought a film about water bomber pilots was highly appropriate.

Playing Catch-Up

So I went into the city about a week ago.  And all week long, I've been putting off sitting down and writing my standard blog entry on the subject.  You know how it is...time gets away on you.  We're getting into the summer busy season for us radio folk, when we've got to start prepping for being on location from all the summer festivals.  Even small market guys like myself have our fair share of festivals to attend.  But now, here I am, with a quiet Sunday morning, a week later, so I'm here doing what I've been putting off doing all week long.

It's strange, doing this a week after the fact.  It's just the memories that stand out the most that are worth jotting down.  I look at my coffee table, and my pile of "to-watch" Blu-Rays, and I'm still feeling the mild sting of shame for having finally broken down and bought the limited edition SteelBook of the first three Pokemon movies.

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on May 28, 2016 at 8:01pm PDT

There was a time not too long ago when I was really into Pokemon.  Not the franchise as a whole...just the anime.  I loved its formula:  three friends, seeing the world, with no concerns except for what adventure may lay beyond the next hill.  Make it live-action, and British sci-fi, and that's pretty much the same core concept behind the Doctor/Amy/Rory run on Doctor Who.  Anyway, I watched the cartoon religiously.  Collected all the movies on DVD.  I finally ran out of steam and started drifting away shortly after movie #12 came out...I think we're up to #18 by now.

And that first season of Pokemon came along when I was in my final year of college.  I always seemed to be on my midday break when it was on, so I'd kick back and watch it.  And I loved it.  Didn't pay full price to see the movie in the theatre...the dollar theatre was still a thing back then, so I waited for it to be in the dollar theatre.  My best friend at the time -- going through a similar mild Pokemon obsession -- saw it with me.  I remember remarking to him, "This is probably The Transfomrers: The Movie for a whole new generation."

I remember when the first movie came out on DVD.  Home theatre forums were pissed.  The DVD had everything people wanted in a DVD special edition:  deleted scenes, featurettes about the making of the film, a running commentary with the director (of the English dub).  "But they wasted it on Pokemon," summed up one reviewer.  I was pissed for another reason:  the film wasn't in its proper aspect ratio.  Rather than glorious 16x9, it was cropped to the standard TV size of 4x3.  They didn't start releasing them in 16x9 until the fourth movie.

So, I picked up the Blu-Ray to finally have the films in widescreen.  And I'm pissed off all over again because it's still the wrong damn aspect ratio.  As far as I can tell, when making this Blu-Ray, all they did was take the 4x3 image of the previous DVD release, and crop it again to create a newer, smaller, 16x9 image.  Of course, my only evidence is remembering seeing it in theatre way back in 1999.  There were things on the bottom of the screen that were cropped off to create that original 4x3 image, and they're still cropped off on the new Blu-Ray.

Granted, I'm probably about the only one in the overlap on the Venn diagram of film enthusiasts and Pokemon fanatics, so I highly doubt this'll be fixed anytime soon.  Not until they probably go back to the original Japanese negative and strike a new print will we ever see it in its proper format.

Oh, well.  At least I finally have them on widescreen...kinda.

And I also picked up my 20th anniversary edition of Independence Day, which I blogged about extensively last time.  I saw it there in Wal-Mart for $10 and figured, "I'm not going to find it any where else for cheaper today, am I?" and snatched it up.

And then, it was time for the apocalypse...X-Men: Apocalypse.  I'm not kidding when I call it the granddaddy of superhero film franchises.  Most film historians will tell you our current run of superhero films started with the first X-Men way back in 2000.  16 years and six films later -- nine if you count the Wolverine solo films and Deadpool -- and it's still going strong.  And like most of them, I was seeing X-Men: Apocalypse at the Scotiabank Theatre in West Edmonton Mall.

The Scotiabank Theatre is just a shade older than the X-Men franchise itself.  It opened in May of 1999, just in time for Star Wars Episode I.  Back then, it was a Famous Players Silver City theatre.  It was one of the anchor tenants of the mall's new Phase IV expansion.  Not really an expansion...it was just the refurbishment of where the Mall's Woodward's used to be.  Boasting stadium seating, curved screens, and an IMAX screen, it was the most advanced movie theatre in Edmonton at the time.  Everything about it made going to the movies an experience again, with its giant statues of Batman, Yoda, and King Kong hanging from the ceiling, and it's centerpiece...the animatronic dragon that came to life every 20 minutes and breathed fire.

I've seen every X-Men movie at that theatre.  Well, except for X2, which came out during my time in Japan.  Oh, and if we're counting Deadpool, I saw that on the north side.  So I've seen the vast majority of X-Men films at West Edmonton Mall.  In fact, the first -- and, to date, only -- time I've been to a midnight premiere was at Silver City for the very first X-Men.  All my friends were there.  I was still ecstatic at how overwhelming Silver City was.  As far as I knew, it was my best friend's girlfriend's first time there.  "Isn't this place just amazing?" I asked her.  She took it all in.  "Too Vegas," she said.  I liked her, but she always did have a bit of a "too cool for school" attitude.

But ya know, she did have a kind heart, and she did give me something to commemorate the night of midnight X-Men.  She gave me a deck of X-Men playing cards.  X-Men because that's the movie we were seeing, and playing cards, because everyone loves Gambit.  As I'm in the midst of cleaning out my old room at my parents' place and finally finishing moving out, I actually found them.

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on May 26, 2016 at 9:20pm PDT

Well, L, Silver City sure has changed.  Cineplex bought out Famous Players, and now has a virtual monopoly on Canadian movie theatres.  A few years ago, Cineplex signed a huge sponsorship deal with Soctiabank, and all Silver Cities were re-branded Scotiabank Theatres.  In addition to the IMAX, it now boasts 2 UltraAVX screens -- Cineplex's proprietary large screen format.  The dragon was shut down in 2010, because it was getting too expensive to keep bringing up the mechanics specializing in animatronics from Vegas.  They did a round of renovations last year when the dragon was finally removed.  King Kong was taken away, too, but Batman and Yoda are still there.

And also still showing?  X-Men.

Not gonna lie...I totally dug X-Men: Apocalypse.  The final scene really reminded me of the final scene of the James Bond movie Skyfall...you get the feeling that the reboot the started at the beginning of this trilogy is now complete, and we can finally get on to some classic X-Men adventures.  That being said, it also reminded me of X-Men: The Last Stand.  There's this feeling of "Screw it, it's the last in the trilogy, so let's throw in a bunch of that cool stuff X-Men fans always wanted to see."  You liked that Quicksilver scene in the last movie?  BOOM!  Here's another one.  You always wanted to see Weapon X?  BAM!  Here's Weapon X.  Age of Apocalypse-era Storm with a Mohawk?  ZAM!

The plot:  it's 1983...10 years since the events of Days of Future Past.  Thanks to Mystique saving the President on the White House lawn, she's become a folk hero in the mutant community...but it's a role she doesn't want to play, so she lives underground.  Magneto seems to have given up his ways, and is living a quiet, peaceful life with a new wife and daughter.  And Professor Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted is thriving, looking like his dream of peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants is becoming a reality.  But then, in an ancient tomb in Egypt, Apocalypse is revived.  Believed by historians to be the first mutant, and all powerful, Apocalypse sets out to do what he was in the middle of in ancient Egypt...conquer the world.  It'll be up to the Professor and Mystique along with some new recruits -- Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Nightcrawler -- to stop Apocalypse, and revive the Professor's other dream...a dream of mutants using their powers to save humanity from those who would do it harm...the X-Men!

As I said, I enjoyed it, but there is a bit of franchise fatigue setting in.  ("Oh, another all-power mutant wants to take over the world?")  I give it three nibs.  Full review on the website.

That's pretty much all that was blog-worthy from my last big city adventure.  As summer blockbuster season is here, you know that there'll be more ahead, as long as I'm not working.  As I remarked to a colleague the other day, about my only career goal is to get to a market with a movie theatre, so it's actually conceivable for me to just go see a movie after work some night, rather than having to plan a whole day around it. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Mulan

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I hit the blog about one of the many, many movies I own.  I'm on a bit of a Disney stretch right now, and we're getting into their animated epic of 1998, Mulan.  This is in my notes at September 12, 2015.

One Last Targ?

Just one of those days, ya know?  It was long, it was hard, it was fun, and I was beat when all was said and done.  But the inspiration hit me, and I felt compelled to fire up the computer and crank out a podcast.  So what inspired me to record Episode 9.08: I Saw a Fox?

• Well, there was no podcast last week because it was the May long weekend, so I tell you what I was going to do on the weekend, which leads to reminiscing about the Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site.
• I just got home from X-Men: Apocalypse, so I have to share my thoughts on that.
• Also gotta share my thoughts on the new Star Trek Beyond trailer.

And I actually did see a fox frolicking in the ditch on my way home from the city, hence the title.
So enjoy Episode 9.08: I Saw a Fox!

Check it out on the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection

Here we are again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog about one of the many movies I own.  This time, we check out some great Disney stuff with The Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Film Collection.  This was originally in my notes at August 30, 2015.

New Star Trek Trailer! (And Beauty and the Beast, Too.)

So, guys.  You may remember, I was not a fan of that first trailer for Star Trek Beyond.  I was ready to punch the monitor, it was so bad.  During Christmas vacation, forget all the contentious Christmas dinner conversation topics like politics and religion.  When my brother brought up the Star Trek Beyond trailer, I was ready to flip the table.  How dare they reduce Star Trek to just another big dumb space adventure.

I wasn't the only one who hated it.  Scotty himself (and the film's co-writer) Simon Pegg wasn't a fan.  Even the film's director, Justin Lin, didn't like it.  Like me, he had a problem with Capt. Kirk doing sick wheelies on a dirt bike.  Shortly after the trailer's release, I read an interview with him where the interviewer singled out that scene.  "I know, I know!" said Lin.  "I didn't like it, either.  [The studio] made me put that in cuz I'm the Fast and the Furious guy."   (Lin was the director of The Fast and the Furious 3 thru 6.)

Well, we got our second trailer.  And this one...well, I hate this one less.




This feels more like the continuation of J.J. Abrams' rebooted universe, and not a Big Dumb Space Action Film.  I like the new struggle they're giving Kirk.  He's now as old as his father was when his father was killed...is he really on his own path, or just following his father's?  And as brief as it is, I love the quick scene between Spock and Bones about the nature of fear and death.  I've been hoping for a while that we'd get some of that classic Kirk/Spock/Bones trinity in these films...hopefully that's a harbinger.

We're getting a bit of an official plot synopsis, too.  The last film ended with the Enterprise setting out on its historic five year mission of exploration.  Well, we catch up with the Enterprise about three years in, and the crew's starting to get a touch of cabin fever.  And then, they're attacked by an unknown alien and left stranded on a deserted planet.  It's up to our crew to survive and figure out how to stop this new evil, bent on destroying the Federation.  Idris Elba plays the leader of this new evil, Krall, and his sidekick, the female alien in all the trailers, Jaylah, is played by Sophia Boutella (the assassin Blades in Kingsman: The Secret Service.)

Star Trek Beyond hits theaters on July 22.

---

And that's not the only that premiered over the long weekend that caught my eye.  Next stop on Disney's live-action remake train, Beauty and the Beast.

I haven't made a lot of stops on Disney's live-action remake train.  I saw Alice in Wonderland because I like Tim Burton (sorry, Burton, but not one of your best), and I saw Cinderella because it piqued enough of my interest (it was pretty good).  Still on the fence about going to see The Jungle Book, but the reviews are so good, I may break down and see it.

Anyway, Beauty and the Beast.  Composer Alan Menken, who wrote the music and co-wrote the songs for the original animated movie 25 years ago, has said that this is NOT an adaptation of the Broadway musical, so none of the newer songs he co-wrote with Tim Rice for the Broadway musical are in the movie.  That being said, Menken and Rice are again re-teaming to provide new songs for the movie, and Menken will once again be doing the score.

Makes sense to me.  I read an interview with South Park co-creator Trey Parker about whether he'd ever adapt his hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon for the big screen.  Parker said that, one thing he learned about making movies and Broadway musicals is how completely different they are, so rather than adapt The Book of Mormon, he would just rebuild it completely for the screen.  Seems to me that's what they're doing with Beauty and the Beast.

Oscar-winning director Bill Condon is directing.  Condon won his Oscar for writing Gods and Monsters in 1998, but he directed it, too.  He also directed Dreamgirls and the recent elderly Sherlock Holmes adventure Mr. Holmes.  For our live-action cast, Hermione Granger herself Emma Watson is Belle, Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley on Downton Abby) is the Beast, Luke Evans (Bard the Bowman in the Hobbit trilogy) is Gaston, Josh Gad (Olaf the snowman in Frozen) is Gaston's sidekick LeFou, and Kevin Kline is Belle's father Maurice.  For the living objects, Ewan McGregor is Lumiere, Ian McKellan is Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson is Mrs. Potts.




I'm really diggin' this trailer.  Much like the first teaser for Cinderella, this is more concerned with focusing on the iconography of the original, rather than flooding us with money shots.  Really curious to see what the live-action Beast will look like.  In our days of CGI, I guess it's too much to hope for a Jim Henson's Creature Shop animatronic creation.  And that opening music from the original animated film still gives me goosebumps. 

Beauty and the Beast hits theatres next March. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Last Unicorn (Again)

Here we are again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog about the many movies I own.  Here, we reach a point that I long feared would come...I start repeating myself.  On August 8, 2015, I would up doing The Last Unicorn, again.  And in case you're wondering how the story ends, yes, I did finally get a new Blu-Ray player on Boxing Day.

Big City Exploits

Well, the frequency of my blogs about exploits in the big city is about to increase, as we're entering the summer blockbuster season.  As I've said to others over the years, about my only career goal is to eventually get to a market with a movie theatre, just so I'm not looking at a 1-hour drive whenever I want to see a movie.  Oh, how nice it would be to just hop on the bus and go to the movies after work!  But then, which such convenience, I would be deprived of the chance to have adventures!

Like this one.

It began like any other.  Having recently spent $1000 in repairs to my car, I am somewhat paranoid about how well my car will perform on the highway.  I always spend a few minutes before hitting the road checking the tires, checking the oil, checking everything I know how to check, and then gently petting the dashboard and saying, "You gonna get me there and back, sweetie?"  Yes, I talk to my car.  I blame it on having seen Herbie the Love Bug too many times when I was a kid.  And besides, as Dr. McCoy said to Data about the starship Enterprise, "Treat her like a lady, and she'll always bring you home."

I went on down the road, and made it to city limits with nary an incident.  First stop, some of the big department stores.  As I've blogged in the past, I don't feel bad about spending a lot of money in the city as long as I buy at least one thing I need.  And I was in need of a new pair of shorts.

Let me be blunt:  I hate pants.  Pants suck.  And now, in these warm summer months, whenever I get home from work, first thing I do is ditch the respectable and grown-up pants, and put on some nice comfy shorts.  But, my penchant for evening walks is not nice on the shorts, and I'm wearing out too many pairs.  I found a pair I liked, at a price I liked, and tossed them into my cart.

Now.  Onto foolish purchases.  Over to toys for Star Wars action figures!  With The Force Awakens still going strong, there's lots of new product to collect.  And through my websites, I heard that they finally released the one figure I'd been wanting:  Force Awakens Han Solo.  (Trying really hard to stop calling him "Old Han Solo.")

And not only did I find Han Solo...but Force Awakens Leia!

YES! Force Awakens Han and Leia! Some mighty fine acquisitions.

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on May 14, 2016 at 5:09pm PDT

Again, as one of my websites pointed out, it should be General Leia, and not Princess Leia, but whatever.  And Han's got his parka from when they launched their assault on Starkiller Base.  Perfect!  The only thing that gave me pause is, as you can see in the photo, they're part of the "Black Collection," which is their pricier, geared-to-collectors action figure line.  But still, they were the last ones on the shelves, so they're mine now! 

Next up, because it's just not a trip to the city without picking up a new Blu-Ray, had to grab Deadpool.  I kinda liked Deadpool in theatres, as did most of the world.  The X-Men pantheon of films, Deadpool had the lowest budget, but was the highest grossing.  And besides, with so many superhero films these days, I think the world is primed for a great superhero spoof.  And with The Tick becoming an Amazon original, the next best thing is Deadpool's constant, fourth-wall breaking commentary. 

But I hate how superhero films get so...reactionary to whatever's popular.  Deadpool was rated R, so right away it was announced, "Well...Batman v Superman is going to have an R-rated director's cut!"  I still believe the only reason why we're getting Suicide Squad is because Guardians of the Galaxy hit big, so DC wanted their own quirky super-team.  *grumble grumble*  Don't chase the trends, and just do what's right for the characters. 

I had trouble finding the other Blu-Ray I wanted, so I decided to head on down to HMV in West Edmonton Mall.  Whenever I go to HMV, I just have to take a moment to look around and ponder how much it changed.  When its current location opened up in 1999, it was considered game-changing.  All two levels was nothing but CDs.  There were isolated rooms dedicated to country music, rap, EDM, and each one had that style of music playing on the speakers.  There was an on-site DJ looking after it all.  But these days, the rooms are gone.  The store is, like, 25% CDs, 25% movies, and 50% pop culture collectables.  But still, it's got one of the wider selections of movies out there, and I find it's one of the better places to go to for harder-to-find stuff...at least in the mainstream.

Except for this one I was looking for.  A clerk asked me that classic question, "Are you finding everything alright today?"  And rather than shun human contact like I usually do and mumble, "Yeah, I'm fine," I decided to take advantage of this offering of assistance. 

"Yeah, I'm looking for the new 20th anniversary edition of Independence Day.  Do you have it?" 

The clerk took me over to the sci-fi films, where they had the regular version of Independence Day, but not the new 20th anniversary edition.  So, off to the customer service desk to check the computer.  The clerk punched in some numbers, and there was much hand-wringing, and another clerk took a look, and more hand-wringing, and finally the manager was called over, and the manager spoke to me.  "Umm, yeah, it came out last week, but we just didn't order it in for some reason."  Don't know why there was much hand-wringing and summoning of the manager over that, but hey, I worked retail.  Customers b cray-cray. 

The manager asked what was new about the 20th anniversary edition, so I got to give the manager the sales pitch to order it in.  The 20th anniversary edition of Independence Day has all the previous bonus features of every other DVD and Blu-Ray release, along with some new ones to promote Independence Day: Resurgence.  It finally has the director's cut -- with 10 minutes of extra footage -- in hi-def.  And, of course, the digital copy.  The manager seemed suitably impressed, and asked if I'd like the store to call me when it comes in.  I explained that I lived outside the city, so I'd try again next time I'm in town. 

Besides, it was kind of good that they didn't have it.  I was already fretting having spent too much money on the Star Wars figures.  And going through the Blu-rays in my "to-watch" pile, I've got Deadpool, and I just got a free copy of the Jungle Book from Disney's rewards program, and I'm re-watching every Batman movie, so there's a lot on my plate.  Well, actually, on my coffee table, because that's where I keep my "to-watch" pile.  A co-worker recently remarked that he was stunned that I have yet to see such recent Oscar winners as Whiplash and Birdman.  It's because I can't stop buying Blu-Rays and construct "to-watch" piles.  Trust me, though, Whiplash and Birdman are in my Netflix "to-watch" pile...which I'll get to, someday. 

And speaking of "to-watch" piles, #1 on my theatrical "to-watch" pile was Captain America: Civil War.

Civil War is so much fun you guys!  I love seeing Spider-Man in this.  Spider-Man alongside the rest of the Marvel universe is just sooooo right.  And Tom Holland, our new Spider-Man, is so good. 

That's what I like about this film.  It's an ensemble.  It's got a huge cast of characters, but no one feels wasted.  Each one has a purpose.  Each one has an arc.  Each one has a moment to shine and showcase their powers.  Perhaps the best one, though, is Black Panther.  His introduction is the major subplot, and he comes across really well. 

The main plot:  because of all the collateral damage that our heroes have caused in their previous films, it's felt that they need some kind of oversight to make them accountable.  Hence, the Sokovia Accords, which would turn the Avengers into a task force, answering to a special UN committee.  Tony Stark/Iron Man is in favour, as he still feels a lot of guilt over having created Ultron and pretty much caused the damage we saw in the last Avengers film.  Steve Rogers/Captain America is against it, because he doesn't want the Avengers to be turned into a tool of shifting political agendas.  Aggravating the situation is when Cap's old friend and sidekick Bucky, turned into the HYDRA operative the Winter Soldier as seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is implicated in a terrorist attack.  Cap goes rogue to bring in Bucky alive and get to the bottom of things, and Iron Man is sent to bring him in.  With their own teams of Avengers loyal to their cause, can Captain America and Iron Man survive each other?

SPOILER WARNING.  No they can't.  When these two do have their final fight, it's so hearbreaking, because you know it's one of those fights that friends have that there's no coming back from.  And when the villain and his plot is revealed, it's so simple and so brilliant. 

But it's still fine.  The right wisecrack and the right moment.  Ant-Man's revelation of his new powers.  "Did you ever see that really old movie The Empire Strikes Back?"  My favourite Easter egg comes early in the film, when Tony Stark is giving the commencement address as MIT.  The directors -- the Russo Brothers -- did a lot of episodes of Community, so it's fun to see that MIT has a very familiar dean. 

I really enjoyed it.  I give it 3.5 Nibs.  Full review on the website. 

It was a good day in the city, and now, it was time to head home.  The car looked OK, and I gently asked her if she'd take me home, and she did.  It was a good day, a good adventure, and I saw a good movie. 

The Targ Returns, After a Little Break

Wow!  I’ve been away for a month!  What happened?  Well, as is my tradition, the first break in the podcast is explaining what occupied my weekend’s past that prevented me from doing it.  So, yeah.  Tune in for that!  What else do I ramble about?

Well, I just came home from Captain America: Civil War, so there’s my rants about that.  I caught last year’s Fantastic Four reboot on Netflix, so my thoughts about that.  And growing excitement for X-Men: Apocalypse.  Huh.  I guess I could have called this one Make Mine Marvel.

But I didn’t.  It’s Episode 9.07: Let ‘Er Rip!

Head over to the main site to give it a listen!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Black Stallion

Here we are again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly rambling about one of the many DVDs and Blu-Rays I own.  This time out, we get to a classic from my childhood that's not talked about that much anymore...The Black Stallion.  This is in my notes at August 8, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - A Couple of Charlie Brown Specials

We've got a two-fer here on Fishing in the Discount Bin this week!  I'm doing both A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  These are in my notes at July 19, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace

And today on Fishing in the Discount Bin, it's time for my secret shame.  I kinda like Episode I.  This first popped up in my notes at July 11, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Back to the Future Part III

Here we are again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, bloggin' about the movies I own.  We get to the end of the Back to the Future trilogy with Back to the Future Part III.  This is originally in my notes at July 5, 2015.

Time for Targ!

Time to roll out another installment of U62: The Targ!  This time out, I’ve got quite few things to talk about, so that’s what I do.  What am I talking about on Episode 9.06: The Adventures of Clippy McGoo?

• We got a couple of cool movie trailers out this week, so I share my thoughts on the trailers for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Doctor Strange
• My thoughts on Star Wars cartoons as I reflect on the season finale of Star Wars Rebels.
• And another installment of Mark Tastes Random Things, as I sample the latest offering for the Phillips Soda Company.

And, I have a special question for you, the listener!  Listen to the podcast, and leave me your answer in the comments below!

So let’s roll out Episode 9.06: The Adventures of Clippy McGoo!

Go check it out on the main website!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Back to the Future Part II

 Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I wind up blogging about one of the many movies I own and re-watch from time to time.  I'm currently going the Back to the Future trilogy, so right now, we're on Back to the Future Part II.  This was in my notes at July 4, 2015.

A New Week, A New Podcast!

Well, now that my life is returning to some sense of regularity, shall we try to get podcasts out on a regular basis?  I don’t have much to ramble about in Episode 9.05: Just Another Saturday, but I have a few things to ramble about nonetheless.  What are my rambles?

• Well, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now on Blu-Ray, so I’ve watched it again and have some new thoughts to share.
• Speaking of Star Wars, we’ve got the first trailer for Rogue One, so I’ve got some thoughts to share on that.
• And we’re getting more Marvel TV shows and reviews for Captain America: Civil War are out, so I share the news.

And that’s all I’ve got on Episode 9.05: Just Another Saturday!

Check it out at the main site!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

So when Disney bought Lucasfilm a few years back and announced their grand plans for the Star Wars franchise, one of the most intriguing was the announcement of the standalone films.  These films would be set outside the main saga of Episodes I thru however many Disney feels like making, and tell some of the other stories that happen in this universe.  "It's about thinking of the Star Wars universe as a setting, not a saga," was one of the phrases bandied about when they started going into depth on this.  Of course, it's not new.  For precedent, we've got the Clone Wars movie and cartoon, and the Ewok TV movies of yore.  The umbrella title the Disney came up for this expanded universe was Star Wars Anthologies.  Some where along the way, though, they simplified it to Star Wars Stories.  And, we just got the first trailer for this first Star Wars Story, Rogue One.

Rogue One tells one of the most speculated-about stories in the Star Wars universe:  taking place shortly before Episode IV, it details the Rebellion mission to steal the plans to the Death Star.  The story itself was hatched by legendary ILM visual effects artist John Knoll, and fleshed out by screenwriters Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz.  Gareth Edwards, director of 2014's Godzilla reboot, came on board to direct.  In one of the earlier interviews about the project, Edwards mentioned how this is grittier than the rest of Star Wars:  "No one cares about the Force...there's no Jedi swooping in at the last minute to save you."

 

Not much is known about our cast of characters yet.  The only whose been named so far is the one named in the trailer, Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones.  She'll be leading a ragtag group of Rebel commandos on this mission, including Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, Hannibal himself Mads Mikkelsen, Hong Kong action legend Donnie Yen, and Wash from Firefly, Alan Tudyk.  Of course we need villains, so we get Ben Mendelsohn as an Imperial admiral.

Watching the trailer today, I was amazed at how much the actress playing Mon Mothma looks like the original actress from Return of the Jedi.  A quick search online reveals that that actress is Genevieve O'Reilly, and she actually played Mon Mothma in Revenge of the Sith, but her scenes were cut!

In this trailer, there's definitely much to like.  They play up some of the classic Star Wars imagery quite well.  That scene of the Death Star's dish being lowered into place.  The Imperial Walkers marching along the landscape.  But we do get a few new things too, like some funky new Stormtrooper design and that one guy taking out a Stormtrooper with some martial arts moves.

In all honesty, I'm having a little bit of trouble getting excited for this one.  I think I'm still on a massive Force Awakens hangover.  I'm older now...I need more time to recover before the next Star Wars party comes along.  If anything, I think we're going to see Star Wars hype level out from here on out.  Force Awakens was very much like Phantom Menace in the "OH MY GOD!!!  IT'S BACK!!!" mentality in the advertising.

I'm cautiously optimistic.  Like I said, there's a lot of good-looking stuff in that trailer, but I need to take to Tylenol, crash on the couch, and wait for The Force Awakens to finish passing through my system.


Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theatres on December 16.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Back to the Future

Here on Fishing in the Discount Bin, I kinda hate tackling my absolute favourite movies, because I never know what to say.  But, I keep watching them, and I keep trying.  I'm embarking on the Back to the Future trilogy, and I'm starting at the beginning with Back to the Future.  This is in my notes at July 4, 2015.

Blame is Counterproductive

The first few hours of Wednesday morning went pretty well.  Got up, had breakfast, on the computer checking the morning news, and since I was already planning on seeing Batman v Superman come the weekend, I went ahead and bought my tickets online.  Went downstairs, started up the car to go to work, and something strange happened.

The "battery" light came on.  I'd never seen that light come on before.  So of course, it threw me into a full-blown panic.  Leafing through the owner's manual, it recommended I shut off everything:  no fan, no radio, no nothing.  So I did that, successfully drove into work, and I obssesed on it all day.  Made for a great radio show, though, as I shared my woes on the air and got a few good calls from the shadetree mechanics in the region telling me how I could fix it myself, but I decided not to dick around with it.  Next day, I'd take it into the shop.

The Targ Is Back! Finally!

Holy moly!  What happened to me?  Where did I go?  How come I haven’t done a podcast in 6 weeks or so?  Well, as Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park, “Life finds a way…to get in the way of your hobbies.”  (I may be paraphrasing.)  Well, I had my first weekend to myself in a while, which was the perfect time to sit down and record Episode 9.04:  Mark v Cheeseburgers — Dawn of Obesity.  What do I ramble about?

• Well, i go into the specifics of what happened to me.
• I just got home from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, so some off-the-cuff thoughts.
• In fact, off-the-cuff thoughts on all the superhero TV shows on TV these days.
• And International Women’s Day a few weeks ago had me reminiscing about the women’s studies course I had to take in college.

All this in Episode 9.04:  Mark v Cheeseburgers — Dawn of Obesity

Go to the main site to give it a listen!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Jupiter Ascending

Here we are again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly ramble about one of the movies I own and have recently watched again.   Here we go with one of the biggest bombs of last year, Jupiter Ascending.  This was in my notes at July 1, 2015. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Kingsman: The Secret Service

Here we are again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, blogging about a movie I own.  This time out, we get to last year's super-awesome spin on superspies, Kingsman: The Secret Service.  This is in my notes at June 28, 2016.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Jurassic World

Here we go again, with Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about the many movies I own.  What can I say?  Blogging about them gives me some justification for owning so many.  Anywho, after doing The Lost World: Jurassic Park last time, I browsed through my notes and figured, "Hey!  Let's skip ahead to October 25, 2015 and do Jurassic World."  So, here we are.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly rant about one of the many movies I own.  Today, we tackled Jurassic Park's lesser sequel, The Lost World.  This is originally in my notes at June 7, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Jurassic Park

Here we go again with Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about one of the movies I own.  Today, we get to a film where I constantly amaze myself at how much I love it:  Jurassic Park.  This is originally in my notes at June 6, 2015.

Scarecrow's Oscar Picks - 2016 Edition

Hey!  The Oscars are tonight, and as I lay on the couch fighting off one hell of a flu, I realized I haven't done my annual tradition of blogging my Oscar Picks!  Of course, I've been doing this ever since I launched by website way back in 1997, so the tradition must continue!

Continuing the tradition I began on my college radio show back in the day, my Oscar Picks are a little bit different.  I only do my picks in the categories that I have a good track record in predicting:  Best Visual Effects, Best Original Song, and Best Animated Film.  So let's get to it, shall we?

Best Visual Effects

• Ex Machina
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• The Martian
• The Revenant 

My Thoughts:  Wow!  So many good choices this year.  We had The Martian re-creating Mars, The Revenant with all manner of computer animated animals, and Ex Machina with hot androids.  But there is no question who's going to take it this year.  If there's one thing that people marveled at in Mad Max: Fury Road, it was a return to practical effects work, and big beautiful stuntwork, with the addition of CGI to enhance.  If Mad Max gets at least one win, it has to be here.

My Pick:  Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Animated Film

• Anomalisa
• Boy & the World
• Inside Out
• Shaun the Sheep Movie
• When Marnie Was There   

My Thoughts:  For the first time in a long time, this category is full of a bunch of nominees I've never heard of!  Anomalisa is a stop-motion animated drama from the guy who did Being John Malkovich about a self-help author who has an affair in a hotel one weekend...Boy & the World doesn`t have much of a plot description on Wikipedia, but it`s Brazilian.  I'm mildly surprised that Shaun the Sheep Movie got a nomination, but I shouldn't be, as Aardman Animation is an Oscar favourite, as is Japan's Studio Ghibli, which is why their final film When Marnie Was There no doubt got nominated.  And, perpetual Oscar favourite Pixar is represented with Inside Out.  Inside Out was a real comeback film for Pixar after slumping for most of this decade, so I think the Oscars are going to reward the comeback.

My Pick:  Inside Out

Best Original Song

• "Earned It" from Fifty Shades of Grey
• "Manta Ray" from Racing Extinction
• "Simple Song #3" from Youth 
• "Til it Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground
• "Writing's on the Wall" from Spectre  

My Thoughts:  Crap, this is a tough one.  Whatever happened to the good ol' days when it was just the one from the Disney animated film?  I know it's not going to be Writing's on the Wall, as everyone pretty much agrees it's one of the weakest James Bond themes.  Your guess is as good as mine.

My Pick:  Umm...Fifty Shades of Grey, cuz wouldn't it be hilarious if we could call that film an Oscar winner?

And let's do the big one

Best Picture

• The Big Short
• Bridge of Spies
• Brooklyn
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian
• The Revenant
• Room 
• Spotlight

My Thoughts:  Wow!  I've seen two of the nominees!  That's a personal record!  It's Mad Max and The Revenant, in case you're wondering.  This is one of the most diverse selections in a long time, as even the professional pundits are having trouble selecting a winner.  I know they opened it up to more than 5 nominees so that way more mainstream films would get recognized, so it'd be nice if it went to one of the more mainstream ones.  I dunno...my gut says The Martian.

My Pick:  The Martian

The Oscars are tonight, February 28. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - A Goofy Movie

Here we go again with Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about one of the many movies I own.  Continuing with "Disney animated films based on Disney Afternoon shows" with A Goofy Movie.  This was originally in my notes at May 31, 2015.

The Targ is Back for Another Week!

Well, gang, I’m finally back!  Took last week off for the Family Day weekend, and in fact, I mention what I was up to in Episode 9.03: The Meat Sweats.  So what ramblings do I ramble this week?

•     As I mentioned, how I spent my Family Day weekend.
•     Some off-the-cuff comments on seeing The Reverent and Deadpool.
•     Pondering what new Blu-Rays to buy
•     And sampling two — yes two! — different McDonald’s burgers in more Mark Tastes Random Things

So give Episode 9.03: The Meat Sweats a listen!

Check it out on the main website!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - DuckTales: The Movie -- Treasure of the Lost Lamp

Here we go again, Fishing in the Discount Bin, in which I attempt to justify all the time I spend on the couch watching movies by blogging about them.  This time out, I do DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.  This originally showed up in my notes at May 31 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

Here we go again with Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog about one of the many movies I own.  We're taking a brief look at George Lucas's Ewok TV movies, and today we do The Battle for Endor.  This is in my notes at May 15, 2015.

The Targ Keeps Targin'!

Well, now that I’m back, the real challenge begins:  can I keep things going for an entire series…a minimum of 13 episodes?  I’ll do my best, darn it!

I almost feel like I have to apologize for those who might be tuning this week after last week’s round table special.  We’re back to normal now.  Just me…rambling about the topics I like.  And what are the topics in Episode 9.02: A Windy Day?

• More Star Wars rambling of course!  Talking about the new action figures that are out there!
• The rise of the Cinematic Universe…even Hasbro is getting in on the act!
• A bid farewell to 1980s nostalgia, and begin welcoming 1990s nostalgia!

And more!

So give Episode 9.02: A Windy Day a listen!

Head to the main site to give it a listen!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Ewok Adventure

Here we are again on Fishing in the Discount, where I watch one of the movies I own and blog about it.  With an itch to watch some Star Wars, I decided to go off the beaten path and watch The Ewok Adventure.  This is in my notes at May 5, 2015.

The Targ Awakens!

We're back!  Time to kick of a new season of the U62: The Targ.  And U62: The Targ to start this new season, I decided to do something radically different.

As you know from my blog and my podcasts of last year, I was really, really, REALLY excited for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  But rather than spend the entire podcast talking about what I thought of The Force Awakens, I decided to follow one of your suggestions as to the podcast:  invite in some guests.

In Episode 9.01: The Force Awoke, I invite some of my colleagues to join me, Matthew Jemmett and Mark McCue, to also share their thoughts The Force Awakens.  We've been obsessing about this film for the past year, so may as well all share our thoughts on the film!

I am going to throw up a bit of a language warning for this one.  While I have sworn in previous podcasts, in this one, we all swear a lot.  What can I say?  We're very passionate about Star Wars.

So head to the main site to listen to Episode 9.01: The Force Awoke!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Time for another installment of Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog and generally ramble about one of the movies I own.  With The Peanuts Movie being pretty good, I thought it was a good time to re-visit the very first Peanuts movie, A Boy Named Charlie Brown.  This is in my notes at May 9, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Interstellar

Here we go again, with Fishing in the Discount Bin...largely an endeavor to make me feel like I'm not wasting my life when I spend Saturday nights watching movies and blogging about them.   Time to fire up Christopher Nolan's latest opus, Interstellar.  This is originally in my notes at April 19, 2015.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Here we go again with Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly ramble about one of the movies I own and why I like it.  Time to cap off The Hobbit trilogy with The Battle of the Five Armies.  This is in my notes at April 18, 2015.

Movie Time Rebooted

I'm starting to buy my movie tickets online more.  In one way, that's cool.  For the fancier theatres that have assigned seating, you can easily pick your seat in the comfort of your own home, and not worry about the best seats being taken the day of.  In the other sense, it ruins spontaneity.  Well, in a more accurate sense, it ruins wussing out.  When you wake up the day of the film, throw open your curtains, and want to crawl back into bed because it looks like a horrible day outside, dammit, you can't, because you've got movie tickets!

Such was the case yesterday, when I saw the gentle snowfall, the apartment still being a touch messy from Christmas hangover, and started thinking, "Gee, maybe I should stay home and tidy things up."  No, dammit!  Movie tickets!  We're seeing The Force Awakens again!

People really know what I like, as the bulk of gift cards I got this Christmas were for Cineplex.  Needless to say, they'll probably be used up by the time the summer blockbuster season rolls around.  And I'd been planning on seeing The Force Awakens again, well, ever since a new Star Wars movie was announced.  I said in my Christmas card letter that I would have probably seen it three times by now, but I haven't.  Just the once.  But I'm on my way to rectifying that.

I was a little surprised.  Even though The Force Awakens is still making gobs of money, the theatre wasn't as full as it was on opening weekend.  Even with assigned seating, I tend to show up a half-hour early to claim my seat, get comfy, and open up any noisy candy packages.  In that first half-hour, had the whole theatre to myself for a good 15 minutes.  The crowd was a little more active this time out.  The first time I saw it, there were cheers for the Lucasfilm logo, then revered silence for the rest of the film.  This time, though, cheers for the Lucasfilm logo, cheers for the opening titles, cheers for the first appearance of the Millennium Falcon, cheers for "Chewie...we're home," cheers for Leia's return...cheers for everything. 

And that ending...  I didn't burst into tears this time, but it definitely hit me like a ton of bricks.  (SPOILER WARNING, but it just became the #1 film of all time, so if you haven't seen it yet, tough tiddies.)  I'm still having trouble grasping why the ending hits me so hard.  I'm just so...happy to see Luke Skywalker again.  I mean, like a lot of Gen X'ers, Star Wars is a big part of childhood.  One of the first books I remember taking out of the library was The Making of Star Wars.  That's where I learned that Luke Skywalker was really a guy named Mark Hamill.  Luke Skywalker is really named Mark...I'm also named Mark!  I'm halfway to being a Jedi Knight!  Dudes named Mark are destined to be Jedi Knights! 

Seeing Luke Skywalker on the big screen again, and I go back to being that 7 year old who discovered that Luke Skywalker is just a guy named Mark...like me. 

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Force Awakens again, I returned home.  I was nervous about returning home, because I knew my evening was to be filled with one of my most fun, stressful things:  figuring out new electronics.

I bought a new Blu-Ray player. 

I've been blogging about this all autumn.  My Blu-Ray player was starting to act up.  I'd pop in a movie, and after the loading screen, the screen would go black.  Refuse to play.  I google the problem, and it'd tell me I need to install the latest update.  I google my make and model, and I discovered that no updates have been released in three years.  So, time to upgrade.

Of course, as I wandered into Best Buy, with their post-Christmas sales going on and a pocket full of gift cards, I couldn't help but feel guilty.  There are so many other things I need more in life, such as the top worry in my life, new tires for my car.  That being said, with post-Christmas sales and Christmas gift cards, this looked like the best opportunity to grab one.  Going over the shelf, it looks like every major manufacturer makes two different models of Blu-Ray players these days:  one with wi-fi, and one without.  May as well go for the wi-fi model, because it'll mean one less wire in the rats nest behind my TV. 

When I returned home that night, I gently opened up the box on my kitchen table and started going through everything.  I hate that you don't really get instruction manuals any more.  You get an idiot's guide to hooking it up, and if you want more, you can go download it.  Hooking it up was easy, as I carefully removed the old Blu-Ray player and put the new one in its place.  The old Blu-Ray player was then retired to my bedroom closet, which has become the graveyard of old electronics.  I also have two old TVs, three old DVD players, an old VCR, and now an old Blu-Ray player living out their retirement in there. 

I flipped on the new Blu-Ray player for the first time.  As expected, once I got it hooked up to the Internet, it took a few minutes to download all the newest updates.  I stuck with the same brand as my recently retired one, so the new menu screen didn't look that different.  Once it looked like everything was hooked up correctly, it was time to test things out.

I went though my two standard home theatre tests:  Praxis exploding from Star Trek VI, and Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul.  Everything looked sharp, so it was time for the ultimate test:  trying the discs that froze the old player. 

First up, The Muppets.  It's funny...everyone's complaining about Jurassic World and The Force Awakens being full of nostalgia for the earlier entries, but in the past five years, there's got to be no film more shamelessly nostalgic than The Muppets.  Hell, lack of nostalgia is actually a plot point!

This was the first one that started giving the old player trouble.  I put in the disc and held my breath.  Everything started like with the old player.  First the Disney logo, then the menu asking what language I wanted everything to be in.  Then...the loading screen.  I started to panic.  The player was whirring and clicking a lot.  Going back to the old days when I had a PC with a 5.25" floppy disk drive.  If your drive is making a lot of noise and working really hard, your disk is probably fried.  I was preparing for the worst when...the menu screen loaded.  The movie started playing.  The disk was working.  It was working! 

Next up, the most recent disc that gave me grief...American Graffiti.  I made this discovery about a month ago when I was in the mood from some more George Lucas but didn't want to watch Star Wars again.  Probably one of the best movies made about the power of radio, as all our protagonists are cruising the town, connected by listening to Wolfman Jack on the radio.  Finally, one of our heroes realizes this and drives to the station on the edge of town to see if the station will broadcast a message to his dream girl, while getting some words of advice from the Wolfman himself.  The next film George Lucas would make was Star Wars and he'd forever be trapped by his own creation. 

I put the disc in and hit play.  With my old player, it went dead after the loading screen.  With this new player, what loading screen?  It loaded so quickly, that the menu came up almost instantly. 

But now, the final test.  The widow-maker.  The Last Unicorn.  I bought Shout! Factory's fantastic Blu-Ray in the fall, but the disc would fry my player so bad, I'd have to cycle the power to get the disc back out.  (I learned from the IT guys at work that "cycle the power" is the technical term for "unplug it, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in.")  If The Last Unicorn didn't work, this whole adventure would be for naught. 

I put the disc in.  I held my breath.  And everything worked perfectly. 

It looked like this new Blu-Ray player would be a keeper. 

Now that I had a fully working Blu-Ray player again, I stretched out to watch Elementary, which I PVR'd on Thursday night and hadn't gotten around to watching yet.  I don't know why I still bother with Elementary.  What started out as an American knock-off of Sherlock quickly evolved into a fairly routine police procedural. 

After being mildly entertained by another Elementary, I went back to fiddling with the new Blu-Ray player, changing the settings to meet my personal tastes, and watching favourite scenes of favourite movies to keep breaking it in. 

I'm still kind of bummed about buying a new Blu-Ray player, when there are many more adult things I should be working/saving towards.  But I had to seize the opportunity.  And at least I can now finally enjoy The Last Unicorn in hi-def. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog about one of the movies I own.  I'm plowing through The Hobbit trilogy, and today I get to movie #2, The Desolation of Smaug.  This is in my notes at April 12, 2015.