Love To Laugh?
January 31st, 2018 by Proprietor
Having done three posts about movies you should watch, Here, Here, Here. I decided to focus on the comedies in my collection, from the oldest to the most current. Looking at the number of comedies I had listed, I almost broke it into two posts, but decided not to. It will just be a very long post. I have in a sense found some sadness in the genre of comedy.
Political correctness has killed the fun. A society who cannot laugh at itself has lost it’s way, and is dead. Some of these comedies would offend today’s politically sensitive audience. If you enjoy great comedy, and can suspend or ignore the PC brainwash, these comedies are AWESOME! Though I have a number in front of them, I made the list in alphabetical order. Many can be found on streaming services or you can pick up a DVD or Blu-Ray copy for cheap or at a second hand media store.
1. Any Which Way You Can – A comedy staring Clint Eastwood. This one is the sequel to Every Which Way But Loose. The comedy along with it’s predecessor does not deal with the glamor of Los Angeles, but the day to day workers. There are some great moments that make you want to smile.
2. Back To School – Thorton Melon, played by Rodney Dangerfield, goes to visit his son at college. Finding out his son lied to him, and is thinking about quitting, Thorton decides to join his son in higher education. The only way he can get into college, because he does not even have a high school diploma, is donate a building. Turns out, Thorton loves college life more than his son. It is a hilarious fish out of water story.
3. Blazing Saddles – Mel Brooks shows his genius in this comedy. Cleavon Little plays a black law man who comes to a small western town to protect it’s citizens. Gene Wilder plays a drunken ex-gunslinger who becomes the deputy. Racial jokes and humor abound with plenty of slap stick. This comedy was made before political correctness took over, and as a nation we could laugh at ourselves. Many people from the era this comedy was shown in bemoan how it can never be reproduced. Not just because there is no other genius like Mel Brooks, but because too many people would be offended. Offend yourself and laugh.
4. Blues Brothers – A spin off of a popular Saturday Night Live skit created by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Two musicians on a mission from God to save an orphanage. It is filled with wry humor, and some incredible music. When the police chase the brothers to Chicago the scene alone is filled with a lot of car wrecks. Great movie to watch, watch the original theater version. The extended version with cut scenes makes you understand why the scenes were cut.
5. Born In East LA – This movie was made in 1987, thirty years ago, and Cheech Marin pokes fun at immigration. Depending on your politics it is sad that it is still apropos to today or hilarious that we still have done nothing to solve a problem.
6. Brewster’s Millions – The late great Richard Pryor plays Montgomery Brewster, great nephew and sole heir to a very wealthy man. Brewster must spend $30 Million, and receive nothing of value for his money, if he does so, he inherits $300 Million. The catch is he cannot tell people what he is doing. John Candy plays his well meaning sidekick, who does not understand why his friend is acting so crazy.
7. Caddyshack – A young caddy seeks to win a scholarship for college. The movie is loaded with comedy greats. Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray play the gag men, while Ted Knight plays the straight man. The verbal banter is hilarious, and some of the sight gags side splitting.
8. Cannonball Run – Burt Reynolds leads the cast of big name stars who wish to win a cross-country road race. There is plenty of low down dirty tricks, and lots of slap stick humor.
9. Christmas Vacation – The fourth of the Vacation films starring Chevy Chase and the gorgeous Beverly D’Angelo. Clark Griswold wants the perfect Christmas for his family. Then things go bad. Hilarious, and a movie you should make part of your Christmas season watchlist.
10. Coming To America – Eddie Murphy was at the top of his game with Arsenio Hall as his erstwhile companion. Prince Akeem wants to come to America to find the love of his life to marry her, instead of the arranged marriage to a woman he does not know. Both men arrive and the Prince takes a vow of poverty, and seeks to live poorly, because he does not want his wealth to pollute the potential mate. Both Eddie and Arsenio play a variety of exaggerated characters in the movie.
11. Every Which Way But Loose – The prequel to the first movie on the list. Both movies can stand alone, but it is always best to watch the first. Clint Eastwood does a great job of remaining the tough guy, while delivering dead pan quips. Sondra Locke sings very well, and the music is country gold. Beverly D’Angelo makes an appearance and provides some very serious, and even comedic moments.
12. Fanboys – A wonderful fictional romp involving friends who want to go to Skywalker Ranch, and steal a copy of the first episode of Star Wars so a sick friend can see it before he dies of cancer. Carrie Fisher and William Shatner make guest appearances.
13. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Matthew Broderick stars as Ferris Bueller, a boy who wants to have one last day off before he graduates high school. Turns out he has taken too many days off, so he ropes his girlfriend, played by the gorgeous Mia Sara, and best friend, played by Alan Ruck into an elaborate scheme to take a day off.
14. Ghostbusters – 1980s comedy giants, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd co-star as paranormal experts who offer a unique ghost removal service. The special effects were considered state of the art, and the movie was a wonderful watch, with plenty of slap stick humor.
15. The Hangover – Who can forget a night in Las Vegas? A bachelor and his friends travel to Las Vegas to celebrate one of his last nights of none marriage. Due to a mixup the men cannot remember the events that happened the previous night, and their friend, who is supposed to be married in another day, is missing. In retracing their steps in hopes to find their friend, hilarity happens. This is one of the most brilliant post 2000s comedies to be made. It also takes place in Las Vegas, my favorite vacation destination.
16. Heathers – A dark comedy about the cliquishness of high school. Winona Ryder stars as Veronica who is part of the most powerful and popular clic in school, the Heathers. Veronica hates her friends, because they are bullies, ends up falling for a recently arrived bad boy, played by Christian Slater. They begin dealing with the Heathers with lethal results, only things go too far.
17. History of the World Part 1 – Another Mel Brooks classic. It takes a snarky look at history from the Old Testament to the French Revolution, weaving various people together. It is filled with a lot of racial and unpolitical correct humor.
18. Hooper – Burt Reynolds plays a stunt man nearing the end of his career, and wants to do one last big stunt. Jan-Michael Vincent plays the new breed of stunt man who is more aggressive, and willing to take bigger risks.
19. It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World – A madcap comedy loaded with many people who were big name stars of the 1960s. These types of comedies are no longer done because studios too closely guard their properties and stars or stars price themselves out of this type of movie.
20. The Jerk – Steve Martin plays a dim witted man who has a childish view of the world. Due to circumstances he ends up wealthy, and with everything he ever wanted. Then circumstances change his fortunes, and he returns to poverty. Only to end up with everything he needed. This is another movie that was made in a time when the nation could laugh at itself, and may offend the PC crowd.
21. Mystery Men – An underrated superhero movie, and comedy. Based on characters who appeared in an indy comic called Flaming Carrot, it takes a somewhat satyrical look at the superhero genre. The heroes are just regular people in costumes who have a gimmick. In the end a real threat faces the world, and the heroes measure up to the task. Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo are the big name comedians in the cast, and Paul Reubens adds his oddball talent to the mix.
22. Porky’s – One of the most raunchy side splitting teen comedies made. Set in the 1950s, it juxtaposes the innocents often associated with the times, with possible realities. The battle between the boys basketball team of Angel Beach High and the strip club owner Porky starts when the boys decide to go to his establishment to enjoy the company of some hookers. Porky ends up swindling them. Along their road to revenge, there is none stop hilarity. Just when you think one scene depicting a side splitting event is over so you can breath, another scene takes place.
23. Smokey & The Bandit – Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, and Jackie Gleason bring very dynamic performances to their characters. Bandit, played by Reynolds is an outlaw trucker of sorts who takes a bet to transport Coors beer from Texas to Georgia under 19 hours. Gleason plays Sheriff Buford T. Justice an obsessed lawman intent on chasing bandit to the end.
24. Spaceballs – Another Mel Brooks classic and spoof on science fiction. With comedy legends, John Candy and Rick Moranis staring in rolls that spoof popular science fiction characters. The bad guy Dark Helmet, played by Moranis is going to steal planet Druidia’s air supply. The heroes have to stop him.
25. Stripes – Bill Murray and Harold Ramis are dissatisfied losers who hate their jobs, and decide to join the army. John Candy rounds out the top three comedic talents in the movie. Instead of being total washouts, their platoon winds up succeeding wildly, and go to Europe to guard a secret government project.
26. Trading Places – Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy team up in a comedy where two callous millionaires decide to use them as pawns in a bet. Aykroyd a up and coming investor is stripped of his wealth, and Murphy a homeless man is given all the wealth. Both men find out and decide to take revenge.
27. Vacation – The start of National Lampoon’s vacation movie series, mostly starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. Clark Griswold wants his family to have a perfect vacation, and travels across country in a station wagon to make it happen.
28. Zoolander – Ben Stiller’s best movie. A model who is groomed to become an assassin. Owen Wilson plays his runway nemesis. The whole walk off was insane. This movie is a classic because it parodies shallowness so well.
Thanks for stopping by.
Ten Play Rule
January 28th, 2018 by Proprietor
I have posted a few blogs related to Las Vegas, mainly places to stay (here & here) or how to get around. So I decided to post one related to an activity that takes place in Las Vegas. Gambling.
Being someone who goes to Las Vegas regularly, I do some gambling. I am a relatively conservative gambler, and I have studied gambling, gambling strategies, and practiced strategies. My own strategy evolved due to my studies and based on experience.
Machines in Las Vegas no longer consist of slot machines or video poker, there is usually a bank or two of basic slots and video poker in most casinos. As computer technology has evolved, so has the casino and casino games. These days gaming machines make up the major amount of casino gambling activity. Gaming machines are based on various themes. Either a known property or a generic property. One of my favorite machines to gamble at, the last time I was in Las Vegas, was a machine based on Game of Thrones. There are machines based on Walking Dead, 1970’s Wonder Woman Show, Sons of Anarchy, Orange is the New Black, and various other shows. No Whammy!
Gaming machines have a multi-level play structure. You can play only one line, but you will not get bonus games or various other events related to playing a certain number of lines. In order to get bonus games or special events, you have to play a certain number of lines, and each line costs a certain amount of money.
You go to a penny machine. No longer does a penny machine mean you gamble one penny every play. You can do this, but see above paragraph. Most penny machines have 45 lines. You have to gamble one penny per line minimum to get the bonus games or special events. The reason gaming machines have so many lines, it is part of the deception that keeps you playing until you have almost no money.
The gaming machines are designed to incrementally take your money from you, give you entertainment while doing it, and when you suddenly realize you have lost, you somehow had a lot of fun doing it. You spent dollars, and walk away with pennies in return. Literally.
When you gamble 45 cents, you could win 20 cents. The machine chimes and beeps and acts like you have won something, in reality you just lost 25 cents. If you keep playing with the amount of money you put into the machine, and keep gambling, you will eventually end up with a few pennies left over. You can play those pennies one line at a time or cash out. You have to cash out if you play a nickel machine. Nickel machines by the way only have nine lines. So you still gamble 45 cents and could win 20 cents or 22 cents.
Because of this bit of deceit on behalf of the casinos, I developed a hard and fast rule. 10 PLAYS ONLY!
This rule is based on win/lose binary concept. You flip a coin, heads you win, tails you lose. You can flip a coin ten times and come up with half a dozen heads, and four tails or any combination of heads and tails. The more heads, the more you win. The more tails, the more you loose.
Gaming machines work on a random number generator. The second you press a button to begin play, you have locked in whether you win or lose. The event that transpires on the screen is the result. You either win or lose. When you win 20 cents after gambling 45 cents you have lost. No matter how much the machine tries to make you feel like you have won. Because it is a win or lose proposition, your machine can be in a cycle of generating wins or losses. After ten plays, if you are down money, playing any more will not get back your lost money or move you into the positive. Debate all you want about things, based on my own experience, I have plenty of experience, the odds are, if you keep playing, you will turn dollars into pennies.
Because there are hundreds of machines in a casino, and if you are in Las Vegas, thousands, you can go from machine to machine and find one that is in a winning cycle. After ten plays chances are high the machine will not move into a winning cycle. Too many people waste good money thinking if they stay at the machine, they will win. Because the machines incrementally work down the money, with occasional not really a win wins, people will stay. Old style electronic based slot machine players use even less plays to decide if a machine is a winner or loser.
One major win does not equate to the machine being in a winning cycle. If you have won a major amount of money over your initial amount due to a jackpot or special event paying out large amounts of money, keep playing out however many plays in the ten play cycle are left, then add five more plays.
EXAMPLE: You play a machine and after six plays, the machine pays out enough money in a bonus game to double the initial amount you started with. You play the remaining four plays in your 10 play cycle, maybe add five more plays after.
The reason for playing out the remaining plays in the ten play cycle is the machine may be shifting to a winning cycle. This could be an opportunity to win more. If you walk away right after winning big, you could have walked away from more money. Five plays after will confirm if it is a winning machine or not. After the five plays, if you have not gained any more money, you walk away. If you won a major amount during the last play of your ten play cycle, five plays after will determine as well if the machine is going to pay more. I have even done a second ten play cycle after a major win on my last play. You might have a little less winnings, but you still have won.
If a machine is in a winning cycle, you will get multiple special events or large wins, not just small wins, though those will be numerous. A large win is a win that doubles your initial bet or more, but is not a jackpot or special event.
EXAMPLE: You bet 45 cents, and you win 90+ cents on a play. That is a large win. You might win 46+ cents on a play, and that is a small win. Small wins are also the reason I have the ten play rule. You could very well make a little money after 10 plays if the machine pays enough small wins.
With small wins, if you end up on the plus side after 10 plays, cash out and walk away is my advice. Unless you feel like playing 10 more times to possibly find out if the machine is a winner or not. Based on my own experience you will lose your winnings as well as a little more. The only time you might want to play ten more times after accumulating a positive sum after the first 10 play cycle is if you are enough above your initial amount to bring yourself back even with the initial amount.
EXAMPLE: You start out with $20 dollars, after 10 plays, you have $25 dollars. You can play ten more times at 45 cents a play and if you lose every play, you are near even to the initial $20 bet. If your money is increasing slowly after a second cycle of 10 plays, you can decide if you want to go for a third 10 play cycle.
In a ten play cycle if you have more loses than wins, you definitely want to walk away. Chances are even with a large win or some small wins, you will not get back the money you played. Remember you will probably be playing 45 cents a spin. Ten spins equals $4.50. Winning 90 cents on the third spin even though you lost only 40¢ total on the first two might not mean you are going to break even. If you break even after 10 plays, walk away. Do not go for another 10 plays. Even is a lose.
If you are using a slot club card, like I do, the only real drawback to my 10 play cycle is I do not incur points on the slot club card quickly. Most casinos set a value of $20 or $25 dollars a point. Many slot clubs now keep track of money bet, and you do not lose that bet money if you stop playing at one machine and move to another machine. Check with the slot club people to make sure. This is why I do not incur points very quickly. Slot club play is geared toward someone sitting at one machine and playing an extensive amount of time or at least long enough to earn a point. Unless the machine is a winning machine I walk away after 10 plays so I am usually betting only $4.50.
Thanks for stopping by.
Tale Of Two Families
January 24th, 2018 by Proprietor
When I was growing up, in the jurassic era of television, when there were only a handful of channels to choose from, there were the off channels that played syndicated shows that had just ended or had been running so long, season 1 was considered old. Channel 18 and Channel 24, were the two channels that played a lot of syndicated shows. Two shows that were wonderful to watch back in the mid-1970’’s were the Brady Bunch, which I have written extensively about, and the Partridge Family.
The Brady Bunch was sort of timeless. Though the clothing was definitely 1960s and 70s, as was the hair styles, the stories focused on the children and family without getting into the whole counter culture of the time. The most political episode was Marcia trying to prove women were equal to men by joining Greg’s scouting troop. The sibling rivalry between Marcia and Greg was always geared to Greg losing. Even though the show was from the 1960s-70s era, much of the so called hokey messages and wisdom is relevant today. This is why it has been a more popular show, due to the timeless nature.
The Partridge Family is very much stuck in it’s time. When the show did not revolve around the social issues of the time, it was actually very entertaining. The Partridge Family actually portrayed Danny as being a money grubbing conservative, but treated him in a very even handed manner. Danny at times was the level head who succeeded to solve problems. Because the Partridge Family is stuck in it’s time frame, many of the social issues are no longer relevant and no one can identify with them. Draft? Our country has not had a draft in decades. Because the Partridge Family was a half hour sitcom, it dealt with the more serious situations with a heavy light heartedness and comical feel that made them almost silly. Then everything was resolved quickly. Which did not really do any favors to the issues.
When I sat down to watch the complete collection of Brady Bunch, I was immediately drawn in. I would watch at least four shows a night. I enjoyed some episodes more than others, but overall, the basic story and plot format kept the message taught very basic. As stated, it was all focused on the children and family, so a lot of family values came through. The Brady Bunch was novel for it’s time in that it was a story about a blended family. The first year dealt with the growing pains of the blended family. The boys and girls viewed each other in a more adversarial way. Both boys and girls viewed their respective parents as bending over backwards for the opposing children. Ultimately that all fell away and in each season the children became more like biological brothers and sisters. The blended family part was sometimes overlooked when Carol or Mike took what might be considered a biological pride in something the boy or girl child would do well.
When I sat down to watch the complete collection of the Partridge Family, there was the same sort of nostalgia exuberance I had for the Brady Bunch, but that quickly faded when the shows became focused on the politics of the time. Granted Kieth and Laurie were in high school at the time, so thusly more likely to encounter politics. Laurie was the hippy chick more prone to be drawn into a social issue and side with those viewed as victims than think. As stated the Partridge Family was a sitcom and tried to deal with the situations in a comic way, which at times made a joke of some serious issues.
At some points I found the episodes of the Partridge Family hard to watch, and wondered why I loved the show as a child. I guess a lot of the overtly political messages had no meaning to me then, so I just enjoyed the basic comedy and music. Oddly the political messages have no real meaning today.
I guess when you write a sitcom, the questions of whether to deal with social issues or try to keep to broader issues or keep focus have to be answered before writing. Seinfeld was another timeless sitcom that did not deal with overtly political messages.
Thanks for stopping by.
Going Digital
January 21st, 2018 by Proprietor
A while back, a friend sent me a link to a story about Disney, the parent company of Marvel, contemplating going completely digital with the company’s comic book output. This did not surprise me so much as saddened me. Though I am not a serious collector of comic books as I was even a decade ago, the thought of no more Spider-Man or Captain America comics being in racks at a local comic book store brought a bit of gloom to my soul. Warner Bros. who is the parent company of DC comics is contemplating such a move as well.
There is a large financial motive to going completely digital. Comic books are not as profitable as comic books used to be. Writers and artists mainly produce comics electronically. Many artists are switching from pencil and ink to working directly into the computer via a Wacom tablet. Personally I have not been able to master the skills necessary to do this, even though I have extensive experience as a graphic designer. Once a comic is produced completely, the files have to be printed. Printing costs large sums of money. Paper, ink, manpower all vary in costs. Even centralizing to a major print hub or contracting to a major printer requires large sums of money. Storing a digital file on a server somewhere for people to access via computer, tablet or smart phone costs very little in comparison. Then there is the physical logistics of transporting printed media. If a comic book store receives damaged merchandise, that merchandise has to be replaced. A digital copy of a comic is downloaded or viewed, and a simple line of coding could be adjusted if there is a problem.
Many comic book companies have shifted story telling styles over the years to make comic books more geared to combining and reproducing as trade paperbacks. Six issue story arcs are written, since the number of pages can than be then bound into the complete story in a trade paperback. Talking to the manager of the local comic book store I go to stated that many of his customers only come in every six months to get the latest trade paperback. Trade paperbacks, though more expensive to buy are also more financially profitable to companies. The cost to print in comparison to a comic book is higher, but the profit margin is substantially higher in comparison.
A comic book costs $3.99 to a consumer. To print the comic might cost a company $2.00. Then it is sold to a distributor at a certain markup to make a profit. The markup is negotiated between the distributor and comic company. The distributor sells the comic to the store, whom will make a certain amount of profit based on the $3.99 cover price.
A trade paper back might cost $19.99 to the consumer. This is a savings to the consumer. Since it would cost $24.00 to buy six issues of a comic book, which is the number of comics bound in the trade paperback. To print a trade paperback might cost $5.00 to the company. The distribution of trade paperbacks is far wider than just comic book stores. Book stores, online retailers, like Amazon purchase large quantities of the trade paperback. The profit margins on a trade paperback are higher percentages than those of comics. Also a trade paperback might sell a higher number of copies compared to the actual comic.
There are already very successful digital web comics that make money selling trade paperback versions of their comic. Usually offering something in addition to the reproduced art from the website so the person buying the trade has a reason to do so. Also many of the web comics sell merchandise related to the comic book. Plush toys or street plastic sculpts.
If DC and Marvel eventually shift to completely digital comics, it might cause the shift of comic book stores to become more of a merchandise store selling related merchandise. Trade paperbacks being part of the store’s sales, since a company will bind the story arc of a certain character offered digitally into a physical format once every six months.
The shift to digital might also allow for a greater diversity of characters being produced. Howard the Duck might get a digital comic series, since a printed series would not sell well enough. Digitally Howard could be offered in a bundle that would make paying an artist and writer producing the series worth the investment.
It would not be surprising if in the next few years, DC and Marvel begin shifting toward digital comic books entirely. It would start with lower selling titles, then move toward the higher selling titles. There might be an attempt to have a special print story or two available to keep those who want more tangible physical copies of a character. Who knows? When it happens it might make news.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hustler Dreamer Brady
January 17th, 2018 by Proprietor
Bobby Brady was always the youngest, and in perpetual competition with his two older brothers. Greg was the gifted athlete and singer, Peter to some extent had acting skills, played peewee football, and even sang in the glee club. Bobby, well, he was a good kid.
One day, a delivery arrived at the Brady House. Several massive crates were delivered in Mr. Brady’s name. Once the crates were cracked open by Mike, they were revealed to contain a pool table. There was debate about putting it in the living room or the family room, along with a Driscoll’s Toy Box, the table ended up in the garage. Except there was a mystery for Mike to solve. There was no note indicating who the pool table was from.
Then it turned out Bobby had a skill that he could beat his brother’s with. With Cousin Oliver as his constant companion, Bobby began winning every game. His brothers took his bragging to task, and ended up having to shine Bobby’s shoes. Then Bobby became consumed with success, and dreamed of being a pool champion.
While Bobby continued his reign as Brady Pool Champion, Mike went to work. There he found out who had sent the pool. The president of the architectural firm sent it as a thank you gift for a job well done. Probably for the King’s Island Job. Mike being the man who wanted to remain in the good graces of his boss, invited him to a dinner and an evening of billiards. The man accepted.
Mike went home and informed Carol that he had solved the pool mystery, and informed Carol that it was the company president who sent it. Carol rightfully guessed that Mike had invited the company president to dinner. Carol also informed Mike, Bobby was neglecting his homework. Bobby had dreams of being a national billiards champion. Mike and Carol wanted him to do his school work.
Then a snag happened with the dinner plans, the company president had to reschedule, it turned out he had plans with another couple. Mike being good natured, and not being the one who had to cook, invited the other couple with. Carol was not happy, but she and Alice reworked the entire meal plan.
Another couple ended up being invited as well, Carol and Alice went back to redoing the meal plan again. Eventually things fell into place. The dinner guests arrived, as the women folk chattered, the men went to play pool.
None of the men wanted to beat their boss, for fear of losing their job. It was implied that the president of the company was a sore loser, and maybe even a bit dangerous. Then Bobby shows up to say good night to his father. The president of the company, invites Bobby to play a game of pool. Since Bobby finished his homework, it was fine. Then things went bad for Mike.
Bobby, unfamiliar with etiquette began beating the company president. Mike was given the advice that he might want to break Bobby’s arm. Soon the president owed Bobby a thousand packs of gum, and was humiliated in front of his wife. The man wanted to give away his pool table, except Mike offered up his table instead.
This is where conspiracy abounds. Mike did not return to the Brady House. The last episode of the series had Mike on a business trip. The ultimate family man was going to miss his oldest son’s high school graduation. The president of the company, upset about being humiliated, had Mike eliminated. Though it was all due to the actor who played Mike Brady’s (Robert Reed) dispute with the producers.
Bobby would have some form of solace in knowing he had beaten his brothers at something, and he was not as noisy playing pool, compared to playing drums.
Thanks for stopping by.