Gene Siskel and Guildenstern are Dead

This last week has been full of one of my very favorite activities: Movies, and the watching thereof.

Movie One: Coraline. Seen with Mr. Portier et familia. Written by Henry Selick and based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Whimsical and disturbing in a detached sort of way. With bright ethereal visuals, and dark visceral plot points. Is this a movie for children?: No. Was the book it was based on intended for children?: Not really. It was described by its author as 'a book for all ages'. In its written form, even a story with disturbing undertones can be digested by the young (take the stories Europe's children were subjected to as entertainment and soothing bedtime sojourns for centuries), but with cinema you lose that detachment. Would children enjoy this movie?: Maybe. Depends entirely on the child. Now, I want to point out that I'm not demonizing the movie in any way. I enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm just going on record as saying that if you knowingly take a child to see this movie, then you FULLY deserve the sleepless nights your going to enjoy c/o your child's understanding of the world around them vis a vis shadowy corners, any partially open doorway, and (god forbid) dolls. It's a good bet that my readers already know that I generally disapprove of children for a plethora of reasons, but I want to state that I'm not wishing anything on them. It's an enjoyable romp in grand Gaiman fashion. Go see it.

Movie Two: Taken. Seen with Mr. Tester. This movie could very well be called 'Liam Neeson Ruins Everyone's Day' and be the same movie. Ex very very dangerous government black ops style agent rapes his way though everyone even tertiarily involved in the taking of his daughter. Mr. Tester was quick to point out the heavy handedness with which the girl's personality was established, and the blatentness of the exposition of Neesons love for his daughter in the face of not really having a relationship with her. Oh, three very important things. 1) If your Albanian, stay the hell away from Liam Neeson. 2) If an old acquaintance shows up in your country, and you have a position of power in that country, and you find it needful to ask him politely to not destroy your country, its a pretty good idea to stay out of his way. 3) If your daddy/ex-husband did scary things for the government in foreign countries that no one is ever allowed to talk about, and he specifically says that a particular plan of action outside the country is a bad idea.... LISTEN TO HIM. This is praise, not a spoiler, so I'm gonna wrap this up. Mr. Neeson was very well cast for this, and the movie was brilliantly put together. Go see it.

Movie Three: Watchmen. Seen with Mr. Portier. If you've read the graphic novel, you've seen a still frame version of the movie. The film makers stuck (in most cases) so closely to the visuals and flow of the story that at times it bloated certain scenes into absolute ponderousness. Even if your not particularly knowledgeable about the novel, if you do happen to be a fan of excess in all its glorious forms, then this movie will please you. Blood, gore, sex, psychosis, being the kind of clever that results in your enemies harming themselves to get at you. There was more than enough there for critics to bitch about, but all in all I was very pleased. Watchmen was well cast and the cinematography was enough to glue me to a seat for the THREE GODDAMN HOURS it took to watch it. Go see it.

Backwards Tined Salad Torque

Being the recollections of slightly less than a week spent in California on the Company's dime.

BWI - DFW - SJC... Fractionally less than 11 total hours of sitting in either a cramped economy class seat in a steel tube being hurled through the sky, or in equally cramped seats in an airport (alternately wishing for the arrival of boarding time or a swift, merciful death) found me delivered mostly safe and sound to the other coast of our fair country. A charter bus ferried us the remainder of the way to Chaminade Resort (at least partly owned by George Zimmer, and locale of the yearly management meetings of Men's Warehouse).

Of the meetings there is little to tell. They were about company policy and changes to be made to the structure of things in the current economy. Pretty standard fare for a company management seminar outing. I will say I learned a few things though... I will say that.

The evenings were far more entertaining. Having been given a small allotment of drink tickets and having come bearing an amount of cash who's specific purpose was to be spent in the bar, having a good time was far from difficult. The people were (for the most part) engaging and easy to get to know. There were activities and a variable selection of locales in the resort to park between dances/drinks.

Addressing rumors that I've already heard surrounding anyone I may have met at this shindig who has been allotted a bit more consideration than the average new acquaintance might be worthy of: She knows who she is and what was said. The future will hold what it may, and I'll live with that.

The food was consistently amazing. The rooms were posh and fluffy. The amenities were complete and unstinting.

Truly a relaxing experience.

Sitting on the runway for an additional 2 hours on the way home was less pleasant, but I arrived back in Maryland having suffered nothing more serious than a wicked case of Jet lag the next morning.

I'd love to be able to say 'Be it ever so humble blah blah blah', but if I did that I'd be forced to admit myself to the nearest trauma center and demand a brain CT to check for a tumor at the very least.

However, I AM home. That means what it means to those of you that it means something to.

Alas, poor Hojo. I knew him Horatio.. A fellow of infinite jest... of most excellent fancy.