Movie Mumblings

Damn. Hate it when this happens. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas arrived yesterday in mail the other day. I popped the DVD in this morning and eagerly awaited for drug and booze addled Johnny Depp and Beninco del Toro to say something. I'd read the book back in college after I dabbled with acid and mushrooms. Briefly, because I was a wimp - an overactive imagination and no taste for danger of acquiring some, 4-8 hours of trips was no easy feat for me, but good memories nonetheless. For instance, walking in the parking garage under the Hanson Plaza with the feeling that the cement ceiling and parking lot would squash me into a flat looney-tunes puddle. And my overly hyperactive brain neurons projecting caption images in my head when I watched Star Wars. We eventually realized that the captions weren't on and we followed the well worn story from memory.

back to the point... The captions weren't on. I had read the book but it was too long ago. Half the book was in gibberish, somewhat chronicling the adventures inside a Las Vegas hotel with people who looked like lizards and bats attacking them. But still, it's a movie. The DVD menu offered no subtitle information, only audio and color bar (whut?) .. I went online and checked for the caption/subtitle status on netflix. The movie indeed had subtitles and CC. I went through all the menu options, assuring myself that I wasn't losing my mind. I was not, thank goodness. I sent an e mail to netflix asking for another DVD copy with subtitles or another movie on the queue at no cost.. Still awaiting for the personalized reply as promised by the automated reply I received.

I'm watching parts of The Sound of Music on ABC. Charming movie really, but it becomes rather depressing and melodramatic with the Nazis nipping at the Von Trapp Family's heels. Fraulein Maria is persuaded by the evil baroness that she is receiving improper attention from her employer Captain Von Trapp. She retreats to the nunnery. Realizes her love blah blah blah...

When I first saw the movie, I immediately recognized Christopher Plummer as a dashing young widower of seven children which he so admirably portrayed. Dragnet was my first movie with him in it as a pill pushing drug freak cult leader who liked to feed virgins to a huge water snake for a ritual. One of Tom Hanks and Dan Akroyd's better days..

commercial break - oooo - ABC/Disney has a new movie/musical out for the holidays on Sunday night.. "Once Upon a Mattress" at 7pm before "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy". Looks like a nice and promising mind numbing TV evening. From what I can surmise, "Mattress" is based on the nursery story called "The Princess and the Pea" with the delightfully mean Carol Burnett (Annie) and Tracey Ullman in it. I'm intrigued. I used to watch The Carol Burnett Show when I was little and I couldn't follow the material. I only liked her because of her loud red lipstick and slapstick outside Annie.

Aw. The captain is now professing his love and attraction to Maria. Later, poor Liesl would be betrayed to the Nazis by Rolfe. The world continues to turn and spin on its wobbly axis.