NOVEMBER MOVIES

Back in 2010, I saw some movies...9/18/2011 well, damn, I’m missing Tiffany and it’s now the official anniversary! Back to the movie journal and the many adventures we had only last year…bracketing this one with two very awesome star encounters, one old school and one new.

First, at the Aero, QUARK himself, Richard Benjamin with the Michael Critchton thriller WESTWORLD. I asked Benjamin about his other SF classic and he talked about the weirdness of the TV show (created by Buck Henry) and how you take chances to work with people like BH. I mentioned my Mom, a fellow Northwestern grad of his generation (also met Paula Prentiss, who Mom always said really dominated everything she did on stage, “a shame she did all those dumb movies.”

Also, Richard Benjamin’s son looks JUST like him.

http://www.ciscopike.net/2010/06/quark.html

WESTWORLD rocked pretty hard BTW.

11/4/11

Lots of happenings in the past few, T in SC and me alone with no wine and some urge to write. So WITH NO FUCKING INTERNET, because, you know, AT&T SUCKS…(I’m at Best Buy tomorrow for a internet card cause fuck this shit)…SHERLOCK HOLMES’ FATAL HOUR (1931) is an obscure (for good reason) early British take on the title character. Arthur Wonter is Holmes and Ian Fleming (no relation!) as Watson, for you trivia fans.

THE A-TEAM (2010) was seen with one of our final Berendo across the hall neighbors, Kevin. The movie was watchable, but we bailed before the credits and missed the cameos by Benedict and Dwight Schlutz! Grrrr…

OK, settle down now, how about a nice Ethan Hawke vampire movie, like DAYBREAKERS? Lots of mythology, little to retell though (it looks really good though). I never thought I would be tired of Marvel Comics films with big stars and big budgets, but WOLVERINE was near incomprehensible and in the present (2011) X-MEN FIRST CLASS was a woeful disappointment, with simplistic characters and some pretty awful acting.

DARK OF THE SUN (1968) is a crackling action flick, with Rod Taylor and Jim Brown as mercenaries who get involved in African gun running and lots of action (including an epic chainsaw battle). The stars make a great team, and Taylor reteams with his TIME MACHINE co-star Yvette Miemeux.

THE TRUE STORY OF LYNN STUART is a neat little “based on a true story” crime drama; OUT OF THE FOG is prime Warner Bros. with John Garfield and Ida Lupino sparking together; SUGAR had no SOME LIKE IT HOT references nor songs, and a dearth of baseball, but it’s an effective look at the immigrant experience through a baseball lens.

WINTER’S BONE kicked ass, and we even met John Hawkes at the Arclight screening – I’m not sure Jennifer Lawrence will ever be this good again. Such a great feeling for the locale, which Hawkes said was simply from being there and using lots of locals. I think Lawrence was supposed to make the screening but it was Hawkes only.

CIRQUE DE FREAK, um, well, it had John C. Reilly in it and um, wow, they really tried a lot to hit the next Harry Potter, didn’t they? I hear the books are better. QUEEN BEE is some prime Joan Crawford, as she seemed on some level to embrace the “camp” aspects of her persona. A little later, Tiffany and I were sucked into BERSERK, (1967) where she remained a viably sexy leading lady, with dudes much younger fighting over her. That’s longevity, ladies and gentleman.

In other news from 2010, EYEWITNESS (1981) was an OK thriller with janitor William Hurt teaming with journalist Sigourney Weaver in more ways than one.

MYSTERY TEAM was pretty funny, about a “Three Investigator” style team that gets back together when they are way too old for it. Donald Glover leads the cast. We first learned about this one thanks to their unmanned booth at ComicCon the year before.

One of the best films I’ve seen in a long time, THE DUELLISTS vaults pretty far to my favorite movies full stop. It’s a beautiful debut from Ridley Scott, following Napoleonic-era soldiers Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel (yes, he’s excellent even in period garb) as they feud throughout history.

Awesome in the Cinerama Dome opening weekend, Christopher Nolan forged an original blockbuster with INCEPTION, a trippy effects piece with good acting and some truly awesome set pieces. Word was the Nolan himself was in the crowd for the show after ours, during which the projectors malfunctioned and delayed the screening by a long while. Noirish melodrama THE STRIP has a typically committed Mickey Rooney performance as a jazz drummer trying to stay on the straight and narrow. Minor but fun, with Rooney a surprisingly effective tough guy. John Frankenheimer’s career is an exceptional one, and most of his work in the 60s is exceptional. But things started to go very wrong for him as the 1970s started, with I WALK THE LINE an example of a director not really connecting with the material. Gregory Peck is a stalwart sheriff who gets the hots for backwoods babe Tuesday Weld, whose father Ralph Meeker runs the shine. Peck is pretty good as the corrupted man of integrity, with Weld just sizzling as the bad girl using him. Johnny Cash has five songs on the soundtrack, including the title one. Fun to realize that even in 1970, Jerry Lewis is used as shorthand for dumbass yokel – as a bunch of hicks are shown losing it at some broad-ass slapstick stupidity.

Dallas time…with me ensconced upstairs in the spare bedroom and checking out Mark’s paltry DVR stock. But, I was able to record and watch BIG FAN while there, and I thought it a semi-honest piece of blue collar life. Patton Oswalt plays a guy who loves the Giants and loves calling in to a local radio show to talk about them. Robert Siegel followed up his script for THE WRESTLER with this, his directorial debut. Oswalt is really good, as is Kevin Corrigan as his equally obsessed pal. Some of the mother stuff (he lives with mom, naturally) is a little over-the-top, but overall a solid effort. Meanwhile, COP OUT is Kevin Smith proving once and for all that he can’t make a real movie. Absolutely terrible.

HOW TO STEAL A MILLION is stylish fun with Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn at the height of their gorgeousness. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is another disappointing horror homage from Ti West, with creepy Tom Noonan inviting a babysitter in for more than a night of sitting. Some moments but it takes forever to get to them.

SALT was written for Tom Cruise but thankfully we got Angelina Jolie instead. She kicks all kinds of ass as a sleeper agent awakened when she’s called out by defector Liev Schreiber. The action gets a little CGI-crazy at times (usually when jumping from high-speed trains), but it's smarter than your average action flick.

Cisco Pike, at the movies, with pounds to sell.

Red Wine Splashdown at Yahtzee Cup #49

Yahtzee Cup #49 – Red Wine Splashdown

August 19, 2011 - Westmoreland Stadium--

Well, now it was Superstar Bootyray (SB) who had the Yahtzee Cup victory to savor. This one was a fast-paced thriller and spiller. Roman Castevet (RC) and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) were ready to stop her run.

RC burst out to a strong lead, and he kept it going through the first three games. A double Yahtzee in the first game spelled doom for the other players.

Game #1

RC 342/SB 255/KPJ 239

Yahtzees: RC (2)

Game #2 was closer but the result was the same, with the Pimp scoring the same last place finish – consistency!

Game #2

RC 265/SB 252/KPJ 239

Now, it was time to stop Castevet from running away with the Cup…to make it happen, the Pimp smacked down a full glass of RED WINE all over the board and the Bootyray card.

It was a funny thing to see, no doubt, but it was no help for the Pimp. Roman rolled the SAME score twice in a row, and unlike the Pimp’s, his got him the win. 3-0 and the chance for the sweep…

Game #3

RC 265/SB 194/KPJ 156

But there was a Superstar playing, one who loves playing spoiler. Maybe she was inspired by the spill, but she took the fourth game to prevent the sweep. Roman’s score of 174 was easy to beat, and the Pimp continued to struggle for a win, despite an early Yahtzee.

Game #4

SB 241/KPJ 219/RC 174

Yahtzee(s): SB, KPJ (1)

A squeaker of a Game #5 saw three low scores, with Bootyray taking the prize. Could she pull off the upset?

Game #5

SB 208/RC 200/KPJ 197

Roman still led 3 games to 2, but now there was a break in the action…then on a day off, I think…8/26/11 let’s say…and there was something extra-special about this Cup finale…The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Oogy Boogy was the Cup, courtesy a Disneyland special from Roman C.

Would it bring him defeat…or victory? Damn, it didn’t look good after Game #6, the low scoring trend continued, and so did the Bootyray comeback. Could she win four in a row to take it all?

Game #6

SB 221/RC 180/KPJ 144

HELL YES she could, and did. Roman rolled a Yahtzee early and thought it was over, but the Bootyray couldn’t be stopped. She now has 16 Cups, equaling Roman Castevet and only one behind the Pimp’s 17.

Game #7

SB 255/KPJ 211/RC 200

Yahtzee: RC (1)

Cisco Pike

Movie Journal with extra Powers Boothe

OK, the dog days of summer and it’s time to get fired up for a BIG WRITING WEEKEND. Of course, I feel like this one has a good chance of success because of the “broke factor”—as in we have no cash to do much else but write.

So here are some movies from the Journal. The viewing this year has been light, but perhaps more selective as well. Some thoughts as I get over the shock of Monty Clift’s appearance in THE DEFECTOR.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND now…and some thoughts on movies while we get ready to finish off the ENVOY saga.

Didn’t get very far, did I?

Sat. Sept. 10, 2011 - OK, checking in a few weeks later, just one week shy of our 7^th wedding anniversary in fact. We completed the ENVOY story, and now Tiffany is working on the treatment/Bible/start of the novel document. We’re blowing off Soderbergh at KING OF THE HILL, a shame but I think it will inspire her to finish the damn thing.

OK, a few flicks from 2010 as I try and figure out what the fuck Merchant/Ivory’s SAVAGES is all about.

A bit of a Kurosawa-fest for me last year thanks as usual to TCM. HIGH AND LOW was fascinating stuff, a bit dull but man, Mifune is truly one of the greats. I can see the issues Americans have had with adapting it, as various directors have threatened to do. Continuing my education with an important film never seen, HUSBANDS was pure Cassavetes but I greatly prefer everything that came before (FACES and SHADOWS at least, not so much TOO LATE BLUES). It was tiresome to me, and that was a shame because I love Cassavetes and Falk…oh well, I couldn’t take MIKEY AND NICKY either.

Good God, FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE is bad, even for a low budget Johnny Cash thriller. Retitled DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC, but it never comes close to living up to that title. But hey, you’ve got a wooden JC, Ronny Howard and Vic Tayback, and that’s something. Not much, but something.

BLUES IN THE NIGHT was mildly nourish melodrama, with a nifty start and slow fade to sapsville (cornytown?). Hey, I got to meet one of my childhood heroes, POWERS BOOTHE, at an Aero screening for EMERALD FOREST and TOMBSTONE (which I did see in the theatre). Boothe was great at his Q&A, and I asked him about his awesome Philip Marlowe performance.

He told many EMERALD FOREST stories and what a fun experience working with John Boorman must have been. Dude’s kinda crazy is my point (I mean, have you seen ZARDOZ?)…but FOREST is good stuff, big-hearted and contemplative while still giving audiences some exploitation-style action. Also, a special sneak preview of MACGRUBER, really just the trailer (saw the flick later and it unfortunately gave Boothe very little to do.

OK, back on the tube, JOHNNY GET YOUR GUN was bold but not too effective. THE WHISPERERS was muddled with fine performances, TOBACCO ROAD was another chapter of Erskine Caldwell’s seriocomedy about a strange deep south Georgia community. Not nearly as memorable as the later GOD’S LITTLE ACRE, based on Caldwell’s novel, but that one was scandalous in 1958, so TOBACCO in 1942 was considerably cleaned up from the stage version.

More Direct TV theatre…THE SECRET FURY was solid melonoir with Claudette Colbert as the center of a fun and twisty plot, directed by Mel Ferrer, with the always-solid Robert Ryan…THE SERVANT was a loooong must-see that lived up to the hype, damn, Bogarde is killer in that (Fox too), OUR MOTHERS HOUSE a nice slice of British nastiness, with a bunch of kids, a mother who’s never home and a superbly seedy performance from Dirk Bogarde.

SHIVERS is good solid early Cronenberg, with a really gross finale. More Kurosawa with the very early THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGERS TAIL, more of a filmed stage production than a movie, but still full of fascinating details. Disappointments don’t come much bigger than D13-ULTIMATUM, a big letdown from the original action opus. Not even many memorable parkour moves. MOONRISE is uneven but interesting Hollywood noir from director Frank Borzage, Dane Clark is a very poor man’s John Garfield, but the rich atmosphere is worthwhile – Borzage’s didn’t make another film for ten years. Robert Downey’s ad agency satire PUTNEY SWOPE is still a trip after all these years, and DAYS OF HEAVEN struck a perfect tone between character and image – need to see that on a big screen.

Speaking of, BIGGER THAN LIFE deserves the big screen treatment some time, with Nicholas Ray, James Mason and Walter Matthau (as the heroic gym teacher!) is a still-potent tale of addiction. TCM continues piling on the premieres CHUKA, a Rod Taylor starrer that’s not worthy of him. He’s the title gunfighter but the budget can’t match the ambition. Kurosawa-fest continued with the STAR WARS-influencing THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, more fantastic fun from a world great. His movies are a real delight because you truly never know how he will choose to handle a situation. It’s always something unexpected.

As for the very lovely, very inert MARRIED LIFE, oh my God, did I even finish it?

I LOVE YOU, MAN was murdered by its awful ad campaign that zeroed in on a Lou Ferrigno cameo (which was good BTW). A sweet, slightly overlong, very funny comedy with Paul Rudd as a friendless fellow chumming with Jason Segal. Barely watched the awful Italian horror flick/JAWS ripoff (TENTACLES), worth a look for the completely listless American cast. The cast of AN AMERICAN DREAM, led by stalwart Stuart Whitman, are far from listless, but they aren’t very effective at bringing the Norman Mailer story to the screen. Bit of a garish mess. Middling noir MANHANDLED wastes a promising trio of Dorothy Lamour, Dan Duryea and Sterling Hayden (in his early beefcake days).

1960s TV show NAME OF THE GAME had rotating heroes (including Robert Culp), on 90-minute adventures each week, but none of their episodes was ever this creative, sending reporter Gene Barry off the road and into a hellish still-in-the-future in L.A. 2017 A.D. Interesting artifact gains great value when you learn the director is a young Steve Spielberg. Sharp visuals hint at the great director is almost already was.

Yasujiro Ozu's TOKYO STORY is a masterpiece worthy of the billing, and REVOLUTIONARY ROAD unworthy of a very exceptional book. Not bad a somewhat strained attempt, Michael Shannon takes his showy part and runs for the hills, taking the movie with him.

Had a MISFITS marathon at the apartment, and Jeff Miler brought the dark comedy OBSERVE & REPORT all for the watching. It tested the patience but it was a true and dark little vision from Seth Rogan and company. Not bad at all.

I’m gonna wrap it up with MACGRUBER, the feature-length SNL sketch made feature film. Hey, we were supporting Powers Boothe, who costars here and is given little to do. Will Forte and Kristen Wiig get some laughs, especially during some sexy sexy sex scenes.

OK, a few more…finally saw 1965’s KING RAT, a good example of the POW genre, with a great George Segal performance. MISS PINKERTON is a zippy programmer with Joan Blondell in the lead.

WHO SLEW AUNTIE ROO? was a DVD from Don that we finally watched and really loved - I mean, Ruth Gordon and Shelly Winters made for quite a pair, and things got pretty shocking at times. Shocking is a good word for CAPT. NEMO AND THE UNDERWATER CITY a 1970 snoozer that I pray star Robert Ryan was well paid for...

Let's finish up with some video of ol' Powers Boothe at the Aero, shall we?

CPike

#48 is great

Yahtzee Cup #48 down to the wire

May 26, 2011, Westmoreland Stadium—

With Roman Castevet (RC) basking in his Cup #47 victory, Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) roared out of the gate in Yahtzee Cup #48. Superstar Bootyray (SR) prepared to play spoiler.

Game #1 was even in the Yahtzee column between RC and KPJ, but RC’s failure to score the upper 35 bonus proved a fatal blow.

Game #1
KPJ 309/SB 242/RC 224
Yahtzee(s): KPJ, RC (1)

Game #2 saw the Pimp distance himself, with a definite victory, no Yahtzee needed.

Game #2
KPJ 269/SB 178/RC 137
Yahtzee: SB (1)

Game #3 saw a Pimp slap turn into a Pimp stumble, as a failure to get the upper 35 left Bootyray room to make a move. And make it she did.

Game #3
SB 266/KPJ 242/RC 240
Yahtzee: KPJ (1)

Game #4 saw another Yahtzee for the Pimp, but this time it was Roman’s turn for the win.

Game #4
RC 242/SB 224/KPJ 222
Yahztee(s): RC, KPJ (1)

Game #5 saw Roman try following up his win, but Bootyray started making her move with a close win. Bootyray overcame no upstairs 35, using her Large Straight to win it.

Game #5
SB 258/RC 251/KPJ 189
Yahtzee(s): SB, RC (1)

Game #6 saw the Pimp get one win away from The Cup, no Yahtzees and a rare tie for second.

Game #6
KPJ 265/SB 220/RC 220

Game #7 was the start of a second card, and it was also where the Pimp's luck ran out. Up 3-2-1, he couldn't seal the deal. Roman Castevet came back to score his second win, his Large Straight making up the difference.

Game #7
RC 264/KPJ 207/SB 201

Now, time for do or die...Killer Pimp rolls an early Yahtzee but he can't quite put the game away. Bootyray keeps it close...and tkaes it when KPJ rolls no Large Straight or 4-of-a-kind. Now it's 3-3-2...

Game #8
SB 291/RC 267/KPJ 250
Yahtzee(s): KPJ, SB (1)

Da dum...da dum...dadumdadumdadum. DAAAAA! That Jaws-inspired soundtrack moment was brought to you by this Superstar Bootyray victory. Game #9 was not very suspensful, as SB rolled a Yahtzee and the others lost the game of catch-up.

Game #9
SB 281/KPJ 217/RC 180
Yahtzee: SB (1)

Nice victory for the Superstar...giving her 16 Cups, tying her with Roman Castevet (Killer Pimp has 17). But her greatest moment could be right around the corner. Stay tuned.

CPike

The Single Card File: Yahtzee Cup #47

It's Yahtzee Cup wrap-up time again and this time it's No. 47 on the line. Turned out to a one-card Cup, but full of excitement nonetheless.

Game #1 and it was the usual suspects taking the field: Roman Castevet (RC), Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) and Superstar Bootyray (SB).

It was low scoring action right off the bat, with the trio starting slow:

Game #1
KPJ 215/SB 203/RC 148

Ouch for Roman's inauspicious start. Game #2 saw him Yahtzeeing to a win:

Game #2
RC 296/SB 244/KPJ 241
Yahtzee: RC (1)

Now Roman was on a roll, and he took a 2-1 lead with Game #3:

Game #3
RC 263/KPJ 212/SB 195

Hey, this is turning into a runaway! said the other players as Roman took Game #4, with a Yahtzee again:

Game #4
RC 295/SB 229/KPJ 212
Yahtzee: RC (1)

Game #5 was a stumble for RC, as Bootyray tried stretching it to two cards...

Game #5
SB248/KPJ 208/RC 156

...but Castevet would not be denied, taking Game #6 for a one-card victory and his first Cup in quite a while. His third Yahtzee made him the only player to roll a 50-pointer during Cup #47 play, and his score the only one to break 300.

Game #6
RC 317/KPJ 184/SB 171

Damn, a convincing win for Roman Castevet! Yahtzee Cup #47 is his!

CPike

March movies

OK, these March movies have marched right into April despite what the posting date says. So Happy April Fool’s with a batch of flicks that entertained me last year:

Bob le Flambeur was slick French noir at its well-oiled best by master director Jean-Pierre Melville. The title master thief gathers group of crooks for a big score that seems doomed from the start. Pervasive air of doom fills the screen here; Neil Jordan remade it interestingly with Nick Nolte in 2002 as The Good Thief.

The Young Doctors was unmemorable except for the pretty good leading man performance of the eternal teen Dick Clark and the impressive cast, including Fredric March, Ben Gazzara, George Segal and Eddie Albert. The Big Heat was another noir classic for T’s viewing pleasure – it still packs a punch too. The Baron of Arizona was a nutty epic with Vincent Price taking an early leading role and running with it. Sam Fuller, even starting out, was determined to cram his as much of his vision into his films as possible. A trip to the Warner Archive brought out Bye Bye Braverman, a most excellent comedy with my old pal George Segal in the lead, miles away from the other young doctors at the hospital.

Around this time, we’d planned on our annual Film Noir pilgrimage but the opening night show was sold out (perhaps thanks to Jeff Miller’s plugging). So we checked out Tight Spot, a neat little thriller that was playing on the big screen and our TV. Brian Keith and Ginger Rogers make a snappy team under Phil Karlson’s direction. We liked City of Ember, a kinda overstuffed but fun fantasy YA book adaptation, with a great Bill Murray performance as a befuddled Mayor. My Name is Bruce stars the irrepressible Bruce Campbell in the role he was born to play, himself. The movie was shot on his home turf of Oregon and it’s a pleasing piece of low-fi fun. Not so fun is the strained Barbra Streisand failing as a hooker to help her feckless husband in For Pete’s Sake (1972). And the recent release Armored was disappointing from director Nimrod Antal. Too much noise and silly violence as the noirish concept got stretched to the breaking point. Cleaning the DVR, buzzing through the ever-working Ernest Borgnine, first as a thuggish blackmailer The Oscar, going after movie star Frankie Faine. Can Hymie Kelly (Tony Bennett) help his pal out again? He will but not feel good about it and Frankie might come hilariously close to the gold Oscar statue. That’s a camp classic that’s a zippy pleasure, as opposed to the incredibly boring and laughably cheap The Neptune Factor (1973). A distinguished cast must have been well-paid to sit in a underwater ship set and point at nothing. As exciting as it sounds. OK, I finally saw the Seven Samurai and I have to admit: I like about a half dozen Kurosawas better than this. It’s got incredible moments, and Toshiro Mifune is outstanding…but man is it looooong, and not nearly as action-packed as its reputation suggests.

Now, wrapping up with Sirocco, lesser but not bad Bogart from the early 50s, a return to international intrigue for the star. A.I. Bezzerides scripted but this is a lesser effort of his. A young Zero Mostel makes a good impression here before the blacklist took him down. W

ith the 14th Annual Noir Fest to enjoy this month…but here's last year’s entry live and in person: The Locket/Bodyguard double feature (and we stayed for both!). The first movie is awesomely convoluted, with a young Robert Mitchum looking ready to burst onto the A-list (despite his weakish character). The second was a lightning-paced B-movie with Lawrence Tireney kicking ass to a Robert Altman screenplay…in 1948! Altman wrote a screenplay that Richard Fleischer shot over twenty years before M*A*S*H?? Friday, April 9 – 7:30 PM Double Feature: THE LOCKET, 1946, Warner Bros., 85 min. Dir. John Brahm. This dazzling and dizzying psychodrama uses a web of interlocking flashbacks to show how a woman’s childhood obsession with a prized locket dictates the course of her life. NOT ON DVD BODYGUARD, 1948, Warner Bros., 62 min. Dir. Richard Fleischer. Lawrence Tierney is an insubordinate copper who gets framed, turns in his badge and goes undercover to expose corruption and murder in the meat-packing industry. Helping him is beautiful Priscilla Lane. This early Richard Fleischer programmer boasts a breakneck pace and a screenplay by Robert Altman! NOT ON DVD Noir again this month!

CP

Movies movies movies

More movies from 2010:

Starting with What’s Up, Doc? (1972), hey, Peter Bogdanovich might be an asshole but he had a great run from 1971-1974, minus Daisy Miller of course. This is a solid screwball farce, with the unlikely Streisand/O'Neal combo making magic together.

Nim’s Island (2008) was delightful fun that proves Jodie Foster can have a light touch when needed and The Walking Stick (1970) matches David Hemmings and Samantha Egger in a non-thrilling thriller. The Road Builder (1971) is more like it, tense chills from screenwriter Roald Dahl and star Patricia Neal. Around here I avoided Jury Duty by a whisker and then travelled to CAMDEN for a short visit. The Las Vegas Story (1952) is trashy fun courtesy the sly Jane Russell (R.I.P.), wooden Indian Victor Mature and the florid Vincent Price.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) was subprime Cassavetes for me, and Nevada Smith (1966) not too memorable other than an early utterance of "bullshit." I Live in Fear (1955) was prime Kurosawa and The 400 Blows (1959) about what I expected from the Truffaut classic.

However, I expected more from Hot Tub Time Machine in NYC, but its mild funny couldn't keep an awesome trip to see Ryan and Jen from being a winner.

Cisco Pike

Yahtzee Cup looks good at 46

With a Cisco Pike birthday in the offing, and Cup #47 scheduled for Thursday, March 24 (check local listings for times and channels in your area), time to recap Yahtzee Cup #46. The Cup resided with Roman Castevet (RC) for a while, could he regain the title again?

Superstar Bootyray (SB) made her welcome return to the ring, facing off in a classic match against RC and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ).

Game #1 started things off in grand style, with a close contest full of Yahtzees and high offensive numbers. Bootyray took the game with a Yahtzee helping her victory.

Game #1

SB 304/KPJ 275/RC 266

Yahtzee(s); SB 1, KPJ 1

In Game #2, SB continued her winning ways but the scores were less impressive all around. RC made a strong play, but fell just short, 227-220. The Pimp brought up the rear (hey now).

Game #2

SB 227/RC 220/KPJ 188

Would the return of Bootyray bring a sweep? Not yet, the Pimp said, as he stepped up to win the next two games and make a match out of it.

Game #3

KPJ 280/RC 232/SB 170

Yahtzee(s): KPJ 1, RC 1

Game #4

KPJ 242/SB 208/RC 150

Knotted at two, Roman made his presence felt with a Game #5 victory. No Yahtzees but a solid win nonetheless. KPJ had a memorably weak four of a kind here, a 7!

Game #5

RC 262/SB 217/KPJ 207

Game #6 was close as the Pimp and Bootyray slugged it out...Bootyray on top by a slightly better 3 and 4 of a kind.

SB 259/KPJ 245/RC 220

Game #7 saw the start (and quick finish) of Card #2, as the Yahtzee returned for Bootyray only.

Game #7

SB 247/RC 184/KPJ 150

Yahtzee: SB 1

With that, Cup #46 was history and Bootyray took home her 14th Cup. One more ties her with Roman Castevet's 15 - with the Pimp still leading the way with 17 Yahtzee Cup victories.

Cisco Pike

Movie journal Friday

Some of the 2010 surplus...

Mo movies from about a year ago, as I remember the last year we spent in the old Berendo apartment.

Crash Landing (1958) is one I barely remember, a terrible disaster flick with Nancy Davis and Gary Merrill in the leads. Like watching two mannequins trying to make us believe they're in an airplane. From the same year, God’s Little Acre is much better, a kind of amazing piece of work. Adapting an novelist who has no really stood the test of time, Erskine Caldwell, a teller of bawdy Southern tales laced with anger and humor, Anthony Mann steers an outstanding cast through a sexy, silly, funny, poignant tale of the Walden family and their land. Robert Ryan, sexy sexy Tina Louise, Aldo Ray, Jack Lord, Vic Morrow, Buddy Hackett, Rex Ingram and Michael Landon as an albino! I'm a big Jeff Bridges fan but man, Crazy Heart (2009) is pretty far down the list of movies that he should have won an Oscar for...Colin Farrell is good in support though. The Crowded Sky (1960) was one I skimmed, another awful (and awfully dull) disaster flick with Dana Andrews, Troy Donahue and Rhonda Fleming.

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) was not my favorite Cassavetes by a long stretch. Gena Rowlands goes nuts, husband Peter Falk tries to keep the family together. A long slog. The Shout (1978) is art-house awesomeness from director Jerzy Skolimowski. John Hurt, Alan Bates, and the gorgeous Suzanne York lead the cast, Tim Curry has a small part too.

A Letter to 3 Wives (1948) is old-school Hollywood filmmaking at its best, with a trio of women trying to discover whose husband has left town with an unseen narrator. They Might Be Giants (1971), in all honesty, kind of fumbles a surefire premise, with George C. Scott's judge convinced he's Sherlock Holmes and Joanne Woodward as the shrink Watson. It overreaches by the time the bizarre finale wraps up in a supermarket. Written by William Goldman's older brother, it does give the famed band its name.

Women in Love (1969) is Ken Russell's big hit with a pair of love affairs that turn quite steamy; the nude wrestle between Oliver Reed and Alan Bates is quite something. Mister Buddwing (1966) is an intriguing failure with James Garner as an amnesiac with a lot of women on his mind. Taking Off (1971) was an Aero special with star Buck Henry in attendance and the Milos Forman comedy really played with a crowd. Bobo Bates' brief song, Paul Benedict explaining "Bogarting" - a truly special experience.

Cisco Pike

Friend Roman takes Cup #45

Yahtzee Cup #45 began Jan. 2, 2011, the first Cup played entirely in the new Westmoreland Stadium. Roman Castevet (RC) was lost in a long Yahtzee drought in the search for his 15^th Cup but he got out of the gate in a hurry here. Facing off against the current champ Happy New Yahtzee (HNY) and the ever-present Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ), RC outdistanced the field in the first two games.

Perhaps he was smelling a sweep…

Game #1

RC 298/HNY 220/KPJ 208

Yahtzee(s): RC 1, HNY 1

Game #2

RC 282/HNY 232/KPJ 220

Yahtzee(s): RC 1

Game #3 went to the Pimp, but that would be his shining moment in Cup #45. No Yahtzee needed here as the other two failed to break 200.

Game #3

KPJ 255/ HNY 194/RC 164

Game #4 found Happy New Yahtzee making herself at home in the winner’s circle. It was Yahtzees for all, thought the Pimp only hit 200 despite the 50.

Game #4

HNY 292/RC 233/KPJ 200

Yahtzee(s): RC 1, HNY 1, KJP 1

Now Castevet was feeling the pressure, with his opponents taking one game each. But on the special Christmas Storyâ version card, Roman finished up the first side’s final Game, #5, with a dominating performance. The others did well and still got their asses kicked. Nearly 400 for Roman Castevet!

Game #5

RC 395/HNY 292/KPJ 200

Yahtzee(s): RC 2, HNY 1

One game away from the win, RC had to withstand one more challenge from Happy New Yahtzee. She brought some high-scoring power herself, with a pair of Yahtzees, bursting the 300 point barrier and kicking some ass of her own to make it 3-2-1 in games.

Game #6

HNY 366/KPJ 255/RC 177

Yahtzee(s): HNY 2

The next game proved lucky #7 for Roman, and he brought out the asskicking stick for his 15^th Yahtzee Cup win. It was a decisive one as he broke 300 again.

Game #7

RC 313/KPJ 174/HNY 142

Yahtzee(s): RC 1

Damn, quite a barnburning finish for #45…until the Cup rolls again, it’s rolls on to the Castevet Estate…for now.

Cisco Pike