Skip to content

The History of Invulnerability

  • by

When I was young I was an avid comic reader, originally obsessive about lots of DC comics like Superman and Batman and later Marvel comics like Spiderman and the Avengers. Today I get to see all of these characters on the movie screen, the aging fanboy I guess I have become, without much regard to the quality of the film.

The last thing that would have occurred to me to think about was the fact that the comics were created by actual people with actual lives and actual concerns and issues.

Last night we went to see The History of Invulnerability by David Bar Katz at the DCJCC. The play focuses on the story of Jerry Siegel, one of the creators of Superman in 1938 along with his artist partner, Joe Shuster.The History of Invulnerability

Run Lola Run, Brief Comments

Finished Run Lola Run, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/run_lola_run/, Lola Rennt (literally Lola runs). I guess this is one of those films I had to see in the theatre to really appreciate rather than my usual 20-30 minutes at… Run Lola Run, Brief Comments

Thoughts on Tron Legacy

I sometimes reserve weekend and/or holiday mornings for seeing movies my wife, Ellen, will not see with me. There is no particular rhyme or reason as to which movies she is interested in going with… Thoughts on Tron Legacy

Superman Doomsday

I finished Superman Doomsday, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_doomsday/, this morning. This was an animated cartoon based on the series where DC killed off Superman in the early 1990’s. At the time, it cause quite a reaction, getting coverage… Superman Doomsday

The Big Bang Theory Hearts Firefly

For those who knew me when I was the CIO at the US Department of Transportation, you will know that I held a monthly lunch with a small band of fans of both the TV show Firefly, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(TV_series), and the movie Serenity, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/serenity/.

For references to this, see the end of the interview I gave for the DotGov Buzz, http://www.usa.gov/Federal_Employees/USA_Buzz/Newsletter_0522.html#dotgovspotlight, and the reference from a column in Federal Computer Week, written by then rising star Chris Dorobek, http://fcw.com/Articles/2007/09/16/Circuit_633659049783559373.aspx.

I even ran into Firefly fans when in China this last summer when we went to see a solar eclipse, https://www.ourownlittlecorner.com/2009/07/21/serenity-on-the-yangtze/.The Big Bang Theory Hearts Firefly

Buffalo Bob, Howdy Doody, and Hilton Head Island

  • by

Periodically my wife, Ellen, and I go to visit Ellen’s parents in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Every time we visit I am reminded how lucky I was to not just to marry Ellen but also to marry into such a wonderful family. I have learned much about my professional life and how to behave like an adult, something I recognize is always a bit out of reach for me, from both David and Barbara Elow. And to top it off their relationship with my two daughters which has only deepened over the years is such a pleasure to experience.

In addition, there are always great things to do and see and learn about when we visit Hilton Head and the area around it, as we did this last weekend, January 9th and 10th.Buffalo Bob, Howdy Doody, and Hilton Head Island

The Lives of Others (2006)

In December, 1975, I was one of a group of young political and civic leaders on a State Department sponsored visit to Europe. One of the places we visited was pre-unification Berlin.

The initial visit to East Berlin was sobering. On the West Berlin side, the Christmas season lead to brightly colored decorations, shoppers, and a great deal of activity both day and night. I remember that when we were in East Berlin one evening, it was almost as if we were in The Wizard of Oz, going back to Kansas, from color to black and white film.

There were literally no bright lights at all in East Berlin. Well, except for, of all things, a Diners Club sign in a bar that was near the wall on the East side. This blue blinking sign stood out in the grays and whites of everything else.

A discussion of the Berlin wall and the movie after the jump …The Lives of Others (2006)

I’m Still Big, It’s the Pictures That Got Small

So says Norma Desmond, the iconic former silent movie star who is the focus of Sunset Boulevard.

Considered by many to be the iconic film noir about the vacuity of Hollywood, it is well worth seeing. Norma Desmond was played by Gloria Swanson, who herself had been a star in silent films and didn’t make the transition to ‘talkies’, her young lover was played by William Holden. Neither was the first choice for their respective parts but they each played them well.

Characters in the film include Cecil B DeMille, Buster Keaton, and Hedda Hopper all playing themselves. Desmond’s driver and 1st husband, Max, was played by Gloria Swanson’s real-life silent film director, Erich von Stroheim. The movie was directed by Billy Wilder and was rated in the top 20 films in history by AFI.I’m Still Big, It’s the Pictures That Got Small

Serenity On The Yangtze

  • by

For those who have come in late to the story, I am a member of what some might call a cult that worships Firefly and Serenity. 

Firefly was a TV show created by Joss Whedon, who among other things was the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which lasted less than one season. It was shown on the Fox Network who evidently weren’t exactly clear on what to do with a quirky, character driven, space western whose principals ran around in a spaceship, used six-shooters, rustled cattle, and whenever feeling strong emotions would rattle off a phrase or two in Chinese. 

The end result is that only 11 of the 14 filmed episodes were ever shown on TV and the show was canceled. 

I never saw Firefly on TV during that season. Serenity On The Yangtze