Blackbirds & Crows

The high today was 18°F (degree Fahrenheit)/ -7.778°C (degree Celsius), most of the day it was 10 F/-12.2222 C, so I spent most it napping, snacking, and watching television, also did knee exercises. [Next week will be fun - since I'll have to venture out at 8-10 F/ -15-12 C, and get home at 22 F. But maybe it will be warmer? At least most of the time is spent inside the trains and stations. No outdoor stations any longer.]

Train Dreams - available exclusively on Netflix at the moment, and nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, and song (by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) for the Oscars. Nothing against Nick Cave (who I actually love) but I don't remember the song. I think they rolled it over the end credits - and being on Netflix, I didn't watch the end credits.

Train Dreams by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner (the video is a nice trailer for the film).

It's a beautiful film - kind of dreamy, and weirdly comforting. Felt a bit like a hug on a cold winter night, which I sort of needed today as the radiators hiss to life in the background. The cinematography and the score by Nick Cave is dreamy and lovely all on its own.

The film is about the life and experiences of a logger in the Pacific Northwest, around the turn of the last century (19th to the 20th). It has strong themes about being interconnected, and the ebb and flow of life. Also grief.

Watching it felt a bit like curling up with a good book in front of a fire place, drinking hot coco on a cold winter's day.

Prior to that, I fell asleep watching Grey's Anatomy, which yes, has been on too long. It is on it's 23rd season, it is the longest running prime time medical serial on television. It beat both ER and MASH.

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"I caught the [60s Batman] TV show in reruns after school every weekday. There’d be a great block of shows that I’d run home for: Star Trek, The Monkees, Twilight Zone, etc. There was a lot of cool stuff that hit stores from Batman-mania that Dad and Mom would get for us, so it was always I source of excitement and great joy. When I was asked to do an issue of DC Solo I immediately got together with my big brother, Lee to do our Batman love letter, BATMAN A Go-Go." - Mike Allred"

Apparently I had the same childhood viewing habits as comic book writer Mike Allred in the 1970s? Just add The Brady Bunch to the docket, and a lot of Godzilla movies. Also, quite a few Elvis Presley films - he died in the 70s, so the Afternoon Movie decided to show every single film he'd ever done. And Presley did a lot of films. None of which were any good.

We used to have The After-School Special (basically a made for television flick with a moral message or lesson), the Afternoon Movie (an afternoon film - usually from the 1950s or 60s that was rated G, they tended to steer clear of the 1970s films which kind of sneered at G ratings, unless they were done by Disney), the Western Film on Saturdays, and Wonderful World of Disney, Masterpiece Theater or Masterpiece Mystery on Sundays. We also watched Star Trek and Space:1999 and Battlestar Galatica, and any other sci-fi show that my parents could find. They liked science fiction, mysteries, noir, and Westerns.

[This was in the 1970s and early 80s. Everything changed somewhere in the 1990s.]

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Apparently She-Rah is leaving Netflix in a month. Which means if you are like me and probably still need to finish watching the series or watching it at all - you might want to get on that nowhish? I'm guessing they are getting rid of it to make room for the new Star Search? I don't know if anyone else remembers Star Search? It was basically American Idol or Everybody's Got Talent for the kiddie set (or anyone under the age of 18). Brittany Spears and Beyonce were discovered on it. Sarah Michelle Gellar auditioned for it - but didn't make the cut. (I can see why - Gellar can't dance or sing to save her life (note it was Spike who saved Buffy's life singing not Buffy). And juggling ...unless it's death defying, isn't that interesting. This isn't really geared towards actors, it's a talent show for everyone else.) I watched it off and on when I was a kid in the 1970s-80s, but not often.

Tried it today - and lasted all of five minutes before I jumped away to something else. ( Read more... )