July 2005 Archives

It sucks big time. There is no way any sane person would spend $400,000 on a two bedroom one bath condo. Downstairs. With only a carport. For some reason, people do. I can only imagine how many people are buying places hoping to make some money of the ridiculous real estate market and are going to be burned when there is a pull back. Oh there will be one. As with most investments timing is everything and part of me wishes I would have bought that condo in Studio City in 2000 for $250,000 that now sells for closer to $500,000.

I have always been a cautious person when it comes to things financial. Matter of fact, it is probably the most conservative thing about me. I had my first savings account at a bank when I was 11. In my later years, my crack-habit of traveling made me throw caution to the wind, but I still manage to be conservative when it comes to long-term investments.

The reason for this rant is that not only have condo prices gone through the roof, but also apartment prices in Orange County are ridiculous. Small boxy apartments with thin walls and families of 10 as your neighbors in a one bedroom are going for over $1300 (Yes I know I am going to get hate letters from people in the Bay Area or New York).

Thus housing, and my future in it remain my biggest source of concern these days. This past week I have been getting the opening shifts at work, which is a nice change of pace. It almost makes me yearn for a good old 8-5 job. I am in sort of a nebulous holding pattern at work right now. I have a tremendous desire to do more or to get a different challenge, and at the same time need to remain focused and do the stellar job that I do every day. I had a really good talk with a manager the other day and it looks like good things might be coming down the road. The big question is whether or not I will stay focused until then or will my wanderings get the best of me.

One thing that helps is the Hong Kong trip. As it gets closer (just over a month), I am really getting excited about it. If I can get this apartment thing squared away, then it can be my sole focus. Then of course, I can start to plan the next trip.

****/****
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
1954 Black and White Japanese 206 Min (US Criterion Restored Version)
Unrated because they didn't do that back then silly.

What can you say about The Seven Samurai that has not already been written? Not much really.

This is the story of some poor farmers who are in a bind. Seems there are some bandits that keep raiding their village come harvest time. The farmers are poor, traditional folk. What to do? The elder in the community has an idea – hire some Samurai and feed them to defend us. After getting the Samurai together, it all leads up to a climactic battle over several days to defend the village.

Many people say this is one of the greatest films ever made - Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece. I have never been one to over-analyze films or to look too deeply into symbolism and the such (though this movie is loaded with it).

What I can say is that this movie is revolutionary. It did in 1954 what people are still imitating and repeating today. You know the shot of the bandits coming down the hill to attack the city? It is in at least 100 other films. Let’s get down to the point. This is a 206-minute black and white Japanese language film with mono sound. I enjoyed every minute and with the exception of a scene here and there was completely involved in this movie. Did I get up and use the restroom a few times – oh yeah, but I paused it.

If you have 3 plus hours to kill and you have never seen this – you should it is a piece of cinematic history, and a really good film to boot!

*** / ****
Dir: Morgan Spurlock
2004 Color English 100 Min
Rated PG for thematic elements, a disturbing medical procedure, and some language. (educationally enhanced version)

This was a Netflix movie that was recommended by several people. I have heard a bunch of critics, pundits, friends say that this movie will change the way you eat and that you will give up fast food – especially McDonald’s forever. Pretty tall orders, but I went into it with an open mind.

I am not sure what director/star Morgan Spurlock intended when he started this project. Educational piece? Slam on McD’s? Whatever his intentions, I thought this was pure and simple fun. I enjoyed this from start to finish (ok, maybe not the gastric bypass surgery video) and never once did I ever feel preached to, persuaded or biased in any way. This is how documentaries should be made and I am glad that as tempting as it was, it never got over the edge. Mind you, maybe it was the humor that masqueraded the preaching, but still… I also liked how they showed several different viewpoints on topics like nutrition and obesity.

I was blown away by some of the statistics and the results of the month long McDonald’s binge (For those of you who are not in the know, Morgan ate nothing except what was on McDonald’s menu for 30 days – breakfast lunch and dinner!). Some of the feelings that he exhibited occur in my life all the time – should I cut back? Personally, I thought the nutritionist and one of the doctors were going to pass out as they looked at his lab results part way through the experiment.

I highly recommend the DVD version of the film which includes a funny short called “The Smoking Fries” where Morgan puts several menu items in jars for weeks and you get to see what each becomes.

Mind you people tell me that they were grossed out by the whole thing, but honestly? It made me hungry.

*** 1/2 / ****
Dir: Tim Burton
2005 Color English 115 Min
Rated PG for quirky situations, action and mild language. (and probably that scene with the marionnettes)

There are two things that occurred to me while I was watching this movie. First, why is this movie being made, and second, boy does Johnny Depp look like Michael Jackson. I am glad to say that after 10 minutes or so I stopped thinking about the first item and settled in to really enjoy the movie. I really enjoyed the look and feel of this movie full of Tim Burton’s usual high quality.

I am also glad that this movie followed the book closer and did not feature those unnecessary songs. Granted, they are part of the charm of the first movie, but I was glad to see that they went in a different direction.

What can I say about the acting? From Top to bottom this is a stellar cast that really shines – especially Freddie Highmore as Charlie. He managed to light up the screen every time he was on it and after 15 minutes you just wanted to give him the factory. Even the other four kids were fun to watch – all with slight updating except for Augustus Gloop. And how about Deep Roy? Though it was creepy to see him “hobbitized” and duplicated en masse as the Oompa Loompas, the songs performed by Danny Elfman and the show-stopping numbers that accompanied them were a highlight. One nugget of trivia – the credit for writing on the songs was given to Roland Dahl – so I wonder if they were lifted right from the text.

About the only thing that didn’t work was the extra bit about Willy Wonka growing up with a dentist (Christopher Lee) father. Oh, and that whole Michael Jackson thing. I am not sure if it was intentional or just a result of some bad timing. Normally it would have been an interesting caricature, but unfortunately the comparison is there and well makes things that much creepier.

Certainly was worth the money to see it in the theaters! (Of course now that is two in a row - Really Good Movies just falling short!)

*** 1/2 / ****
Dir: Steven Spielberg
2005 Color English 116 Min
Rated PG-13 for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images.

Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a bad dad. He neglects his children and is more interested in his car than his son Robbie(Justin Chatwin). The kids are in town this weekend and Ray is mad that Robbie has taken off in his car and his daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning) is alone in the house. Before he can do anything, a series of bizarre lightning strikes occur – similar to ones that have been happening all around the world. Before Ray knows what is going on, there is an EMP pulse frying all the electronics. The next thing Ray knows, he is on the run from alien invaders who are turning the neighbors into ashes.

Steven Spielberg’s take on the H.G. Wells novel of the same name is full of his trademark seat of the pants excitement and amazing special effects. My favorite part of this movie is that so much is taken from the Wells novel (The alien machine design, the red plant life, Tim Robbin’s character) that to me it is more of a faithful adaptation of a book I’ve always enjoyed. Less campy and in a ways less dated than the ‘50s version (despite the obligatory nod to current events with lines like “Is it the terrorists?”), I’d say this movie was perfect up until the end.

For some reason, the scenes of Ray and his daughter being chased and captured by the machines jumps into a scene of Ray and Rachel meandering through Boston. That’s quite a lot of ground to cover. They could have at least spent a minute or two on a montage. The result just jarred me and kept me thinking about what the heck are they doing through the rest of the movie.

Another thing I didn’t care for was the role of Robbie. I am not sure if it was the actor or the way it was written, but it could have been so much better.

At any rate, I really enjoyed it!

James Doohan died today. He is the second of the original Star Trek actors to pass away, following DeForest Kelley, who died in 1999. I remember when I was younger and in more of a Trek haze than I am nowadays, I could never imagine what would happen once my heroes started to pass on. To me, it was like a relative that you see on occasion no longer being there - tough to stomach.

I met Jimmy several times at conventions (look, I said I was a geek). Three that were always favorites were Jimmy, Nichelle, and George. They all suffered through endless repetitive questions and flashes of cameras with big broad smiles. Some would cut off the autograph lines after a certain point, but Jimmy just kept signing. I remember how I felt bad at one convention when near the end of his speaking time (I think this was near the time Star Trek 5 came out), he started to get into some poetry he wrote. I good chunk of the audience started to bolt for the door to get to the autograph table. I thought that was really rude of people. In the end, I got my autograph (It's on a crew photo from Wrath of Khan) and walked away a happy little goober.

When I worked on Pooh, there was a cast member who dressed up like a Klingon for conventions and special events and we often talked about Jimmy since he was having his final convention appearance last year. His health was fading fast, but he still had that twinkle in his eye. I wanted to go, but my convention days were long gone. I am glad I at least got to meet and thank someone who helped shape me growing up.

Sweet Dreams Mr. Scott.

Ps: I forgive you for that appearance on Knight Rider 2000.

Well I survived the big anniversary. Today was the 50th Anniversary of one of my favorite places on earth - work! It was awesome being in the park today and seeing a sea of people wearing the golden Mickey ears that were handed out at the main entrance. Us cast members received a bag of goodies including a souvenir map, collectable pin, a book from the head of Parks and Resorts telling us in pictures how important we are (and featured several of my friends!), and our own set of Mickey Ears.

We also scored free cupcakes, snacks and drinks as well as a chance to get a special edition of our work newsletter, The Disneyland Line, which featured all of our names in it! Last, but not least, I also got to pose with a copy of the new Window on Main Street - dedicated to us the cast. It was nice to feel appreciated, and all the managers looked sharp in their formal business wear - adding to the meaning of the day.

I watched the ceremony with Art Linkletter, Gov. Arnold, Bob Iger, and Michael Eisner which was nice. Art really stole the show and proved he still is capable of hosting things even at 93. Diane Disney Miller was there as well putting the final exclamation point on the happiest homecoming on earth - after all it was her and her sister Sharon who led to Walt dreaming up Disneyland.

At 4:45pm, as I was leaving, they re-broadcast Walt's dedication speech at the exact time he delivered it 50 years ago. It is something to remember that I was in Town Square, 50 years to the minute later.

All in all, a very cool day at work! Who knows, maybe I'll be there for the 100th Anniversary when I am 82.

July 13th was a benchmark day for me in two ways. First off, some background. It is summer season at the park now and for the most part I am working at night (although recently I have started opening on the weekends). Being a creature of bad habits, since I’ve started working 4-ish to 1am-ish, my schedule has been wake up at noon, go to work, come home from work and stay up a few hours, go to bed, repeat. So basically for five days out of the week, I get nothing done. No time to update the web site, go grocery shopping, clean the apartment, nada. Lately, I have been making an effort to try and get some small chores done here and there just so I don’t get ridiculously behind.

So I was in one of those automatic days when I checked my e-mail and got a note from Susie saying that her boyfriend proposed to her and that she actually was going to get married. I was convinced that the world was in for some serious repercussions from these events. I am really happy for her though – she seems to have found a really nice guy. Of course that leaves me as one of the few of my college friends who are single and all together unattached. Granted, I was in a long-term relationship until a few years ago, so maybe I’m just ahead of the curve.

Therefore I was walking out of the door of my apartment feeling all bummed out about my single-ness when an envelope fell to the ground. I picked it up and lo and behold it was a note from my apartment complex that they are jacking up my rent $110 a month if I renew a year lease. Suddenly, not only am I alone, but now I really have to seriously consider moving. I already pay close to too much (if you look at the salary-rent ratio), and the extra $110 is just a bit much for me, especially considering I don’t exactly live in the nicest part of town, and some of my fellow residents are, shall we say, less than stellar. Well there is the one neighbor who just put in hardwood floors and drives a Mercedes, so all is not lost.

Here is the final kicker: My lease is up on September 6. I just bought a plane ticket to Hong Kong for September 8. Perhaps I should sell everything and move to Hong Kong? Whatever I decide, I have about 15 days to make the decision. I have lots of hand wringing and sleepless nights ahead.

Well at least Susie is getting married. Maybe I’ll just go live with her. I think there is a wacky sitcom in there somewhere…

I somehow managed to survive the Fourth of July at the park. The last few years, it hasn't really been an issue with me. People always say that the Fourth is one of the busiest days at the park. Also, people were telling me due to the three day weekend, the Third would actually be the busiest day. Man were they wrong.

It certainly was the roughest night I ever had dealing with guests. Now mind you, I have been working at the park for almost four years now and have had more than a few guests get into my face about one thing or another. This year, with the new fireworks and the special patriotic finale, the guests were adamant about watching the fireworks wherever they want. It really is a tough thing to deal with - think about it. Guests pay to get in the park (and on this day especially) to see the fireworks and feel they should see them wherever they can find a good spot. On the other hand, we need to keep certain areas clear for through traffic so that people don't get log jammed and then start to panic. Needless to say, guest control is one of my least favorite parts of the job.

Other than that, work has been going well. I didn't ever hear back on some positions I applied for, but then again there might be more opportunities down the road.

Also, Vance and I have bought our tickets to Hong Kong! We also scored tickets to the park the day after opening (the first full day of operation), but we still have an outside chance of scoring tickets to one of the preview days that will be happening while we are there.