cinema history class: terror train

Session: And Then There Were None, Week 2
Movie: Terror Train (1980)
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL

Plot:
College students are trying to have a party on a train, but a killer lurks among them. Hilarity ensues.

Reaction:

For the most part I was judging Terror Train, by comparing it to The Prowler, which we watched a week earlier. Terror Train did a much better job of keeping me guessing, and I enjoyed the heightened suspense. And the ending was much clearer, and more satisfying. The fact that the script threw in a major red herring helped it along.

In some ways this seemed to me less of a typical slasher film, though Keith argues against that. I also wondered out loud whether the fact of it being set on a moving train -- executive producer Daniel Grodnik was trying to make Halloween on a train. Keith and Christina both argued that the train helped make the film work in that it created more of a feeling that the partying potential victims were trapped. I suppose they're right; without the train, there would have been less to make Terror Train stand out from the other revenge slasher movies.

Terror Train was enjoyable and satisfying, but ultimately it was light fare. 

Ratings:

Me: 7.25

Christina: 8.5

Ethan: 8

cinema history class: the prowler

Session: And Then There Were None, Week 1
Movie: The Prowler (1981)
Directed by Joseph Zito

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL

Plot:
A college graduation party is stalked by a psychotic killer in full military gear. Hilarity ensues.

Reaction:

I'm actually of somewhat mixed minds about this movie. There's a certain vagueness about the exposition that I found frustrating. And yet, since I was able to figure out the unstated backstory and the killer's motives, maybe it was OK and I should be thankful that they didn't hit the viewer over the head with it.

I haven't seen a whole lot of slasher movies in my life, but I could still recognize all the standard tropes and formula-driven sequences. So I knew early on which main character would survive, and throughout I could knew exactly how scene after scene would play out. Yeah, she'll struggle with the door until the last second... Yeah, she's gonna die now... He'll save her, but die in the process... But, like the visual equivalent of comfort food, it was satisfying to watch. Not particularly memorable, but satisfying.

I have to give the film credit for Tom Savini's wonderful makeup and effects. They really made it.

Ratings:

Me: 7

Christina: 8.2

Ethan: 7

it's zmedsday!! (xciv)

 

early voting? not me

Some might say that the election is a week away, but in a very real sense it has already begun. And I don't mean that the campaigning has begun or there have been debates. I mean the election has begun because of early voting. The last I saw, something like 70 million votes have already been cast. I see a lot of social media posts celebrating the number of early voters, encouraging people to vote early, and bragging of having voted early. I find it all misguided.

I'm not opposed to the idea of making early voting available. I understand that it's arguably a necessary accommodation to reduce the barriers to voting that some might have. But I don't think we should be encouraging people to vote early as a primary strategy. It really should be for situations where voting on election day presents some kind of difficulty. That's not to say that anyone should have to prove hardship; no eligible voter should be stopped from voting early if they want to. I just wish we didn't have so many people wanting to, and I don't think we should be encouraging people to want to.

If you vote early, you voluntarily give up information. I get that many people have made up their minds, and can't imagine what could possibly make them change their minds -- and that's more true of this year's presidential election than most. I really do get that. Like many people, I've made up my mind and put the probability of my changing it between now and next Tuesday at somewhere around zero. And yet, maybe something will happen to make me change it. I doubt it, but I don't see where trading that possibility is worth the right to brag "I voted already" for a few days.

I'll be at the polls on Election Day.

 

it's zmedsday!! (xciii)

 

cinema history class: white zombie

Session: Pre-Code 1932 Horror on Tap, Week 4
Movie: White Zombie (1932)
Directed by Victor Halperin

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL

Plot:
A young couple is eager to be married in Haiti, but their plans are upset by a love-starved plantation owner and an evil voodoo master. Hilarity ensues.

Reaction:

White Zombie is the only film in this session that I'd seen before, and it's one that I love, so I was really looking forward to it. Interestingly, in the dozen or so years since I saw it last, I'd forgotten some of the plot points. Notably, I'd completely forgotten the love triangle angle. Somehow I'd combined two characters -- Neil Parker (Madeleine's fiance) and Beaumont (the plantation owner who wants her for himself) -- into one. So watching again I found that the plot was a little more complex than I had remembered. So that was a plus.

I'm not exactly an expert on Bela Lugosi, but this is (to my knowledge) his meanest, most sadistic role. In other movies he performs acts of cruelty, but there's always some kind of reason that a viewer can at least appreciate if not support. But in this, he's a sadist for sadism's sake. And it's fun to watch it, thinking "what a scumbag!"

But the plot touches on a couple of issues that hit me on a visceral level. The whole idea of being trapped, and knowing what you could have -- should have -- done differently is a big one for me. And that's the part of the movie I remember most clearly from the past.

It's worth noting the underlying racial dynamic built into this movie and even worked into the title. There's the implicit message that it's Legendre's (Lugosi) use of voodoo to turn people into zombies is all well and good as long as he's limiting it to the black people of Haiti. It only becomes a problem when he turns his attention to the pretty white woman from elsewhere. If they were top make this movie today, they would have to rework certain elements, and the title would have to be changed. Maybe "Zombie Bride" or something like that. But, while I am aware of this aspect of the movie, I'm also aware that this was made in 1932, and that has to be taken into account.

Christina noted something that I hadn't picked up on. Generally, the characters in this movie aren't well-developed. Legendre, played by Lugosi is the exception, as he actually has a bit of a backstory that's touched on in a teasing kind of way. But the others aren't. Madeleine and Neil are basically cardboard cutouts without any notable personalities. And Beaumont is hardly much better. His sudden deep infatuation with Madeleine is really inexplicable. Had Christina given her comments before me, thereby giving me a chance to consider her thoughts before I gave my rating, I probably would have given this film a lower score.

Ratings:

Me: 9.6

Christina: 8.2

Ethan: 9

cinema history class: doctor x

Session: Pre-Code 1932 Horror on Tap, Week 3
Movie: Doctor X (1932)
Directed by Michael Curtiz

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL

Plot:
A cannibalistic serial killer is stalking New York, and the evidence points to Dr. Xavier's medical academy. The police and the press want answers, but the good doctor wants to conduct his own investigation.  Hilarity ensues.

Reaction:

I kind of had false expectations going into this. My only familiarity with Dcotor X was from the line in the Rocky Horror sountrack, "Doctor X will build a creature." So I was expecting some kind of Frankenstein-type story, and this wasn't it. So perhaps my rating was unfairly biased by that bit of letdown. Having said that, the fact is there was nothing in the plot to stick with me. So I went home afterwards and hardly thought about the movie again. That's a bad sign.

The visuals were great -- especially the use of shadow in the scene wher Xavier performs his experiments to identify the killer. And I did enjoy the technobabble that the scriptwriters used there. It reminded me of Star Trek. But the visuals and technobabble weren't enough to make this movie memorable for me.

Ratings:

Me: 6

Christina: 8.2

Ethan: 7

Sean: 2 out of 4

my guitar injury?

The top knuckle* on my left ring finger is irritated, and I'm trying to figure out if it's because I have been playing the guitar incorrectly. I am asking for anyone who is reading this and either plays guitar or has expertise in orthopedic medicine to opine. Another possibility is that the irritation is due to a bug bite -- possibly exacerbated by my guitar-playing. 

I'll get to the bug bite theory later. But first, some explanation is in order. The A chord is one of the first chords I learned when I first took up the guitar. You make the A chord (first picture) by using your index, middle and ring fingers to hold down the D, G and B strings on the second fret. The B chord, which I didn't learn until later is essentially the A chord transposed by two frets. You make it (second picture) by holding your index finger across all six strings and using your middle, ring and pinky fingers to hold the D, G and B strings down on the fourth frame. And, of course, you can make other major chords by transposing this arrangement any number of frets up the neck of the guitar.

But I've gotten into what may be proving to be a bad habit. I now make the B chord using just the index and ring fingers (third picture). I'm using the index finger across all six strings, the same way I was taught. But I use my ring finger alone to push down on the D, G and B strings. I do it with the upper section, and bending that top knuckle backwards, in a way that it really wasn't meant to be bent. And sometimes (fourth picture) I use my ring finger in a similar fashion to make an A chord -- though I don't do that consistently.

Naturally, one may wonder why I started playing this way. The answer is that I find it easier. Most of the time that I play I'm using a ¾ size guitar** -- long story -- and it can be difficult to crowd three fingers on the narrow frets -- especially when I'm playing further up the neck. I also have a couple full size guitars, but the miniature one has the best sound of the three. I make the A chord the incorrect way (despite having enough room on the second fret) because of one particular song. In that, there's one place where I move from A to C#. It's easier for me to make that transition if I start with the one-fingered form of A.

Anyway, on Monday this week the joint was sore and red, and it hurt to play. So I've been laying off the playing this week, which is really annoying. When I'm working and I need a quick break I like to get up and play a song or two. But I pretty much like to stick almost exclusively to songs I wrote myself (or cowrote), and almost all of them (and all of the recent ones) involve this particular chord shape.

But part of me wonders if this is a bug bite. I was working in the yard on Sunday, moving some rotting logs. These were covered with ants, spiders and other creepies. On Monday I had several bug bites on my hands. And they were sore -- annoyingly so. The knuckle-sore was the worst of them, but it could just be a coincidence -- or it could be that that's the one bug bite that I further irritated with my guitar playing. I do note that the knuckle seems to be getting better just as the bug bites on the rest of my hands are getting better.

Opinions? Am I destroying my finger by playing guitar wrong? Will my finger fall off? Or is it a bug bite that will run its course in due time?

____________________________

*Fun fact: Researching the proper terminology, I learned that it's called the "distal interphalangeal joint." Woohoo!

**The Taylor GS mini, with koa wood

happy tunesday: "united breaks guitars"

 

If this blog is your only exposure to my social media profile, then you are blissfully unaware that I have spent the last two months fighting with AT&T's customer service. I've put it on Facebook, and I twote about it a several times. But I think the only time I mentioned it on this blog was two weeks ago when it influenced my Tunesday pick. Well, it's driving today's choice again.*

Dave Carroll's song, "United Breaks Guitars" is a wonderfully catchy and humorous take on the customer service nightmare he endured when a United Airlines ground crew at O'Hare Airport destroyed his guitar.

Now, I suppose my situation isn't as bad. It's reasonably likely that the guitar that United broke was worth more than the phone that AT&T failed to deliver. Also, according to the song, Carroll spent a year trying to get his issue resolved. I'm only two months in and it's likely I'll see a resolution this week or next.**

But it's not just about the severity of the loss and the time spent. Some of the lyrics resonate because the behavior he encountered seems similar to what I've seen. Carroll sings: "And so began a year-long sagaof pass the buck, 'don't ask me,' and 'I'm sorry, sir, your claim can go nowhere.'"

Those lines reminded me of a few things that happened to me several times:

• A customer service person on the phone would insist that they can't do anything for me. I have to get the store to deal with it. Sorry, but that's the only way.
• The store employees would insist that I had to call customer service and have them deal with it. Sorry, but that's the only way.
• Customer service would open a "case" and take down the information. A few days later they would close the case without taking action because they had insufficient evidence that I never got the phone. This, despite the store manager acknowledging that they had sent the phone cback to the warehouse. When I'd get a person on the phone, they would tell me that that's it, there's nothing they could do.

I won't say here what is causing me to have some optimism, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Even Dave Carroll got satisfaction in the end. I think.

______________________

*I'm not going to rehash the story here, or even udate it. Because I don't feel like doing so. If you want an account of where things stood two weeks ago, you can read this post.
**Or am I being too optimistic?

stoopidstats 2020: ranking by wins

Now that the 2020 baseball season (such as it was) is over, I can go back to looking at how the various Major League franchises rank in terms of all-time win total. And how things look if you group teams by location or by state (or state-like political unit) or nickname. I should share the underlying file, but Dropbox has been weird. If you want it, contact me and we'll figure out how I can get it to you.

In all tables, I am settling ties on the basis of games over .500.

By Franchise

Starting with total wins by franchise, no franchise passed any other in wins this year, so the rankings stay the same. The following list shows the all franchises, ranked by wins. Current franchises are identified by their current nicknames. Defunct franchises are identified by their location(s), league(s) and years in existence. The current franchises (which just happen to be the top 30 in wins) are also shaded.

By Location

Congratulations are in order to San Diego! The Padres won 37 games, propelling San Diego into 21st place, ahead of Texas. The Rangers only won 22 games. The following table shows all 54 locations that have had major league teams. As always, I note that "location" is as indicated in the team name. Thus, the Brooklyn Dodgers are included as Brooklyn rather than as a New York. The 27 locations that currently have teams are shaded.

By State (or State-Like Political Entity)

No state passed any other in wins this year, so the rankings stay the same. The following table shows all 28 states that have had major league teams. The 19 that still do are shaded. I note that Quebec is the only "state" without a current franchise that has more wins than any states (Colorado and Arizona) that do.

By Nickname

Congratulations are in order to the names "Padres" and "Rays"! The Padres won 37 games, propelling their name into 23rd place, ahead of "Rangers." The Rangers only won 22 games. The Rays won 40 games, and their name moved up two spots, from 37th to 35th. They passed "Angels of Anaheim" and "Red Stockings" which are no longer in use. The following table shows all 119 names that have been used by major league teams,* and the 30 names still in use are shaded.  I note that there are five names that are no longer in use but have more wins than "Rays,", which has the fewest wins among the 30 current names.

________________________

*I acknowledge that there can be some dispute over what was a team's official name at any given point -- especially in the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. I am using baseballreference.com as my authority.

whitey ford, rip

 Yankee pitching great, Whitey Ford, died last Thursday, a couple weeks short of his 92nd birthday.

Ford was the third (as far as I know) Hall of Fame pitcher to die in the last month and a half. Tom Seaver died on August 31 -- I wrote about that here because I was a huge fan of his as a child. Bob Gibson passed away on October 2. And if we're looking at Hall of Famers who weren't pitchers, there's also Lou Brock who passed away on September 6. I didn't blog about Gibson's or Brock's deaths because I didn't really have anything to say about either. They both played for the Cardinals*, and I was never much of a fan of either. Which is not to say I had anything against them.

I had never followed Whitey Ford's career -- it ended in 1967, which was before I had developed any interest in baseball. So during my childhood he was simply one more historical baseball figure -- and one more in a long line of Yankee greats. But I did develop an interest in him a bit later because of an incident during my high school years. Ford lived in Lake Success, a village in Great Neck on Long Island. By coincidence, my grandparents also lived in Lake Success, a short walk away from him.

At some point my grandparents were passing Whitey's house and saw him outside. They asked him if he would autograph a baseball for their grandson. He graciously agreed. And then, also gave them one of his baseball cards. I'll always remember that extra gesture as the kind act of a true gentleman. I don't still have the baseball -- one of the dogs we had chewed it up. But I still have the card -- see the accompanying picture. That's his 1967 card. I also have his cards from 1953, 1954, 1959, 1960 and 1965. But I got those through more-conventional methods -- I bought them at baseball card conventions. None mean as much to me as the '67 card.

This leaves me with two questions that will never really be answered. First, why did my grandparents happen to have a baseball in their car? I almost wonder if they kept it there "just in case" they ran into Whitey? I'll stick with that explanation since it makes me feel the best. The second question is why nobody thought to ask him to autograph the card he gave them for me? But I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Whitey wasn't under any obligation to even sign the ball for them. But going inside and getting out a baseball card to give them? That goes way above and beyond.

RIP Mr. Ford.

____________________________

*Lou Brock began his career with the Cubs. But he was traded to the Cards before I was born, and is primarily known as a Cardinal.

space: 1999 -- season 2 episode 24 -- the dorcons

Season 2, Episode 24: The Dorcons
This blog comes with the generalized warning that any post may contain spoilers. That is especially true of these Space: 1999 posts. So if you haven't seen this episode, intend to watch it, and therefore don't want spoilers, then don't read.

Plot Synopsis
Alpha is approached by a Dorcon ship. The Dorcons want Maya; with her brain stem, their leader can attain immortality. The Dorcons are the most powerful race in the galaxy (of course!), so Alpha is seriously outmatched.

My Thoughts
The premise is really stupid, but beyond that, the basic plot could have made for compelling television. Of course, it could have used a couple tweaks to make it remotely plausible. There's even some royal intrigue about a conniving prince, which adds some extra interest.

There were some other positives to this episode. Maya's use of her shape-shifting abilities was understated and handled seriously. This wasn't simply another laughable big ugly creature costume. And the scene where we see it had some good suspense. Will the Dorcons recognize her? And I did appreciate hearing the line "Resistance is futile" in science fiction predating Star Trek: TNG.

But, for the most part, this episode was poorly handled and just came off as inane. And so, Space: 1999, a show on which I pinned so many hopes when I was a little boy, ended with a whimper.

cinema history class: murders at the rue morgue

Session: Pre-Code 1932 Horror on Tap, Week 2
Movie: Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
Directed by Robert Florey

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL

Plot:
A mad scientist injects women with ape blood. Hilarity ensues.

Reaction:

There's something fascinating about Bela Lugosi. I recognize the greatness of Lon Chaney and Peter Lorre, but Lugosi... Those eyes. Those piercing hypnotic eyes. I remember them most vividly from White Zombie, which we'll be seeing in week 4 of this session. But it seems that every movie Lugosi made included some scene where the camera zooms in on his eyes. And those are the moments that burn themselves into my memory.

The problem is that, other than Lugosi's eyes (and the fake caterpillars that appear above them), there's really not much in this movie to latch onto. I didn't find the characters interesting, aside from some dry humor. Without Lugosi's eyes I would have rated this a 5.

I also note that, as an actuary, I was disturbed by the recordkeeping by the local medical examiner. Any mortality tables that came out of there are highly suspect.

Ratings:

Me: 6

Ethan: 7

Sean: 2 out of 4

happy tunesday! "it's better than that"

This morning I wanted to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But I couldn't find the jelly. Much sadness. So I punted and experimented with a new creation: a peanut butter and Cap'n Crunch* sandwich.

It wasn't as incredibly awesome as I was hoping. In fact, thinking about it, I prefer jelly. Or raisins. Or honey. But I'm glad I tried it. And someone reminded me that this was the privilege of being an adult. A topic that TFIA explored...

______________________________

*with Crunchberries

space: 1999 -- season 2 episode 23 -- the immunity syndrome

Season 2, Episode 23: The Immunity Syndrome
This blog comes with the generalized warning that any post may contain spoilers. That is especially true of these Space: 1999 posts. So if you haven't seen this episode, intend to watch it, and therefore don't want spoilers, then don't read.

Plot Synopsis
A landing crew is exploring a planet that looks promising. But things start going wrong -- crewmembers are going insane, and the hospitable environment is turning decidedly dangerous. The key lies in the recorded log of another expedition of another race that experienced the same thing.

My Thoughts
At this point, the show is striking a very uneasy balance between serious science fiction and kid-oriented silliness. As with several other episodes, this one starts with a reasonably interesting premise that could make for an engaging show. But the script and effects are just horrendous, leaving us with something that's as cheesy as Lost In Space*, but without the charm.

As before, they seem to be inventing new gadgets for each episode without regard for any kind of logic. Now they have a glider for entering a planet's atmosphere? They never had that before, and it makes no sense that they have it now.

So, what's the discipline situation here? This is a pseudo-military outfit. It started out as scientific, but in this season we've seen a sharp turn into military -- probably in an attempt to imitate Star Trek. Whatever it is, this is an outfit where discipline and self control are vital. So, on the planet, when a man is dead from a laser gun wound (and another has run off). The doctor, examining the dead man, concludes, that it was a fight. "I'd say it adds up to a stupid accident. They fell out, a weapon was pulled."  And he and Koenig seem to find that explanation perfectly plausible. Excuse my French, but what kind of outfit is Koenig running?

I'll also note here that I don't like the little episode-closing music that they seem to have in each show. It makes it sound like we're watching Eight is Enough or The Love Boat. They should get rid of it. But with only one episode left, I guess it's a bit late for that.

*To be clear, I'm talking about the original series from the 1960's.

baseball stoopidstats for 2020: games above 500

 The 2020 baseball season (such as it was), is in the books, which means it's time for StoopidStats!

Below are the graphs showing cumulative games over .500 -- first by franchise, then with franchises grouped by location, then grouped by state (or state-like entity) and finally by name. I don't really have anything to say about these charts, so just appreciate them. It would be good to have all these series labelled, but there are just too dang many. Yeah, poor form. Bad me. I plan to put a post together looking at cumulative wins and the changes in rank there.

If anyone is interested in the underlying files, feel free to contact me.