A great song. Evokes a simpler time, a better time.
Tag: review
25JAN2023 – Country Song for the Afternoon
The Man in Black sings about the Man Upstairs. This was on the last album he recorded before he died.
Very apocalyptic.
24JAN2023 – Afternoon Country Song
Tyler Childers is probably some variety of hippie commie but he has some good songs including this murder ballad. I guess my advice to him would be shut up and sing.
23JAN2023 – A Country Song for the Night
“The raven is a wicked bird.”
Been a fan of Wall’s for four or five years. This is a good murder ballad.
22JAN2023 – A Country Song for the Morning
These guys did a good job on this song.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear – A Book Review
This won’t be a normal book review. First of all, I haven’t finished reading it yet. And it’s way too soon to say exactly what results I’ve achieved by using its advice because I really haven’t used any yet.
But what I can tell you is that the author, James Clear’s explanation of his strategies to allow people to break bad habits and make good habits, jibes remarkably well with my long, very checkered career of developing better habits for just about every aspect of my life. It’s as if this book was written specifically for people like me. And by people like me what I mean is extremely lazy people with an awful work ethic.
There are chapters on the psychological and neurological origins of habit formation and there are rules for optimizing good habits and rules for minimizing the temptations of bad habits (which tend to be mirror images of each other). And there are checklists for scheduling all the good activities you will want to piggyback on each other in the course of your new, improved, productive but quite crowded day.
The book doesn’t have a large component of feel-good cheerleading. It’s more of a how-to manual for maximizing success and minimize relapses. And it isn’t one of those systems that depend on heroic willpower and any external products. He’s not selling anything that I’ve read about so far. It’s logical strategies to manipulate human nature to direct effort and provide support for the natural power of repetition and the application of small incremental change over time.
I think the reason I’ve been enthusiastic about this book is because it formulates things, I’ve already recognized about behavioral modification, but underpins it with explanations about what additional steps can be taken to protect against the everyday problems that so often derail people from making changes to their habits.
I don’t want to sound too enthusiastic about the usefulness of this book for everyone. Possibly I am the poster child for this book. Maybe most people don’t need to know about dopamine in order to institute a permanent habit for exercise or rework their schedules. But for whatever reason this book clicks for me. If you’re in a self-improvement mode and need a textbook to set it up this might be just what you need. It’s probably in a library near you so you can check it out and see if it works for you.
21JAN2023 – A Little Country Music for This Afternoon
I’m a fan of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s music. I really don’t know anything about the musicians; their politics, ethics or personal stories. I discovered them quite late in life. But I like some of their music.
Blood on the Moon (1948) – An OCF Classic Movie Review
“Blood on the Moon” is a western that manages to transcend some of the cliches of the genre.
(Spoiler Alert – Skip down to last paragraph to avoid spoilers and read recommendation)
When we first meet Robert Mitchum as Jim Garry, he’s riding through an Indian reservation to reach an old partner of his, Tate Riling (played by Robert Preston). He’s intercepted by a cattle outfit run by John Lufton. He tells Garry that Riling is trying to prevent Lufton from getting his cattle off the reservation in time to avoid their confiscation by the government over a voided contract.
When Garry finally reaches Riling, he finds out what kind of job he’s been summoned to perform. Riling is in cahoots with a federal agent named Pindalest that procures the cattle for the reservation. They’re trying to force Lufton to sell his cattle for pennies on the dollar and then sell them to Pindalest at the full price with a goodly bribe to Pindalest. Out of the huge profit Riling will cut Garry in for ten thousand dollars for being the gun hand to make sure nothing interferes with Riling’s plan.
When Riling and his men and the homesteaders that he’s fooled into helping him attack Lufton’s herd they manage to scatter it thoroughly which should be enough to guarantee that Riling’s plan will succeed. But one of the homesteaders, Kris Bardon (played by Walter Brennan) loses his son in the stampede and Garry decides the whole plan is too dirty for him to go on with. He quits Riling’s crew and manages to save Lufton’s life when two of Riling’s men were preparing to gun him down.
To further confuse the situation Lufton has two daughters. Carol Lufton is in love with Riling and has been providing him with information about her father’s plans and actions. Amy Lufton starts out hating Garry but over the course of the movie as she sees his actions are well-intentioned, she changes her mind and comes to trust him.
When Garry quits the crew Riling goes looking for him and they have a huge brawl in a cantina. Garry finally knocks Riling out. When one of Riling’s henchmen gets ready to execute a defenseless Garry, Kris Bardon shoots the gun hand. Now Garry goes to Lufton and reveals the whole plan about Riling conspiring with Pindalest to steal the herd. They come up with a plan to defeat it.
Garry goes to Pindalest as if he’s still working with Riling and tells him to suspend the government’s seizure order on Lufton’s herd and creates a ruse that has Pindalest go with him out into the mountains to give Lufton enough time to gather the herd and bring it off the reservation. The ruse succeeds up to a point but then an Indian whose friends with Riling tips him off that Pindalist is being stalled by Garry. Riling and his men come after Garry and in an altercation, Garry is stabbed and Pindalist is rescued.
A badly wounded Garry escapes to Kris Bardon’s cabin where Amy Lufton joins them to nurse Garry’s wound. Soon Riling, Pindalist and one other gunman show up and surround the cabin while Bardon and Amy hold them off with rifles. That night Garry, sensing that eventually the outlaws would manage to overcome the defense, tells Bardon and Amy to provide a diversion while he slips out the door and sneaks behind the gunmen and takes them on.
He manages to pistol whip Pindalist into unconsciousness and shoot the other gunman. And in the final confrontation he shoots it out with his former friend Riling. Garry is victorious and he reappears at the cabin. Later John Lufton and his men appear at the cabin. They take Pindalist into custody for delivery to the marshal. And as the drama ends Amy tells her father of her plans to marry Jim Garry.
Although this western was made during the heyday of that genre, this production differed substantially from the typical black hat, white hat conflict. Mitchum’s character is more reminiscent of the characters he usually portrayed in film noirs where he would be a small time criminal or a gun for hire. He straddles the line between good and evil pretty thoroughly until almost the end of the movie. And that’s what keeps the movie from devolving into a typical good guy, bad guy shootout. Mitchum and Preston manage to keep the battle between light and darkness alive and interesting throughout the movie. The rest of the cast isn’t afforded much opportunity to rise above the normal western tropes. The two actresses in love with Garry and Riling are given fairly stereotypical plot and dialog for those roles and the other parts fairly equally follow the conventions of the genre. But Mitchum and Preston provide the fireworks and it boosts the movie well above the average. Highly recommended for fans of westerns and fans of Robert Mitchum.
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) – A Movie Review
This movie is not strictly speaking a WW II movie. It is a chronicle of the events leading up to the death of German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.
(Spoiler Alert – Skip down to last paragraph to avoid spoilers and read recommendation)
James Mason plays Rommel. It opens up with a British submarine off the coast of German occupied North Arica. A platoon of commandoes is landed by rafts to assault the headquarters of the German Afrika Corps. The commandoes storm the building and pour machine gun fire and grenades into the living space. As German reinforcements arrive the British soldiers retreat. One man is too badly wounded to escape. As he is captured, he asks the German soldier, “Did we get him?” And the German soldier scornfully answers in the negative.
The “him” that the Briton meant is Rommel and the suicide mission proclaims the enormous respect that Rommel’s enemies have for his skills in war. But unfortunately for their mission Rommel was at that time being treated in Germany for a case of nasal diphtheria. But before he can recover, the British attack his forces in the second Battle of El Alamein and Rommel is summoned by Hitler back to the desert to ward off this attack. Unfortunately, Berlin only sends Rommel, not tanks, ammunition, men or even fuel to run the tanks they still had. Orders are given to stand and fight to the last man. Rommel disobeys the orders and arranges a tactical retreat to save his men. But exhausted and still sick he is forced to return to hospital in Germany. And his army is defeated and captured by the British and Americans.
Recovering from his illness he is visited by Dr. Karl Strölin (played by Cedric Hardwicke), the mayor of Stuttgart and an old friend of Rommel’s. We learn that many senior officials in Germany have lost faith in Hitler and are looking for a way to remove him from power. Rommel rejects the idea and warns his friend not to discuss this idea with him. He declares himself to be a soldier and not a politician. His friend warns him that a time will come when he will have to face the consequences of being a soldier in Hitler’s army.
Now Rommel is directed to help lead the defense of the French coastline against the expected invasion. The supreme commander of the German forces, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt (played by Leo G. Carroll) explains to Rommel that Hitler has taken complete control of the strategy of the invasion defense. He explains that the strategy is being decided based on astrology and that instead of reinforcing the beaches they are concentrating on the coastal cities. When D-Day arrives Berlin refuses to allow troops to redeploy to reinforce Normandy and so the Allies break loose from Normandy and begin their march to the Rhine.
The officers who are planning to assassinate Hitler once again approach Rommel for his support. He tells them he must first attempt one last time to convince Hitler to redeploy his forces to avoid catastrophe. He meets with Hitler but is rebuffed and told to remain in place and fight to the last man. Rommel tells the coup leaders to go ahead with their plan. But before the assassination attempt Rommel is injured when his staff car is strafed by enemy aircraft and crashes. While he is recuperating in a hospital the attempt on Hitler is carried out but he is only injured.
After release from the hospital Rommel is sent home without any military orders and all mention of him disappears from the war effort. One day he is called from Berlin to sat that a deputation would arrive at his home to discuss his future assignment. But instead, when it arrives he is told that an investigation has convicted him of treason and he is given the choice of secretly committing suicide by painless sedative or being garroted. But Rommel says he would prefer to answer the charges in open court to at least make his statement in public. But then the officer adds that if he agrees to take the silent suicide his reputation will be preserved and wife and son will be taken care of. If he decides to go public no such guarantees apply. And so, he goes to his death. The movie ends with the recitation of a speech that Winston Churchill gave honoring Rommel for his courage in risking his life in attempting to eliminate Hitler and thereby save his country from catastrophe.
This is a very unusual movie in that the Second World War is only the backdrop for the dramatic action of the plot. We’re shown a great general, a consummate professional, learning that detaching his duty as a soldier from his responsibilities as a human being is sometimes impossible. He is brought to understand that obeying the orders of a madman cannot fit under his warrior’s code. Mason is usually interesting to watch in a movie and this one is no exception. If nothing else he has one of the most distinctive and commanding voices in the history of cinema. The movie is not highly dramatic. It’s almost understated considering the circumstances and the people involved. I would recommend this movie to students of history and those who enjoy a cerebral movie experience.
In Bruges (2008) – A Movie Review
In Bruges is described as a black comedy-drama crime thriller. I will agree it’s a very bleak comedy indeed.
(Spoiler Alert – Skip down to last paragraph to avoid spoilers and read recommendation)
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are two Irish hitmen, Ray and Ken, that work for English mob boss Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes. Harry has ordered the two men to lay low in the Belgium resort town of Bruges after a hit in the London area went badly.
When first introduced Ray and Ken are arguing about Bruges. Ray claims that Bruges is too insanely boring for him to endure and Ken claims that Bruges’ cultural and scenic virtues made it a relaxing and interesting hiding place. Ray is a young working-class man who has no interest in a tourist attraction while Ken is an older man who seems to possess sensibilities outside of the brutal realities of his murderous trade.
And so, the first part of the movie is the two hit men bickering about spending their time in the pubs versus sightseeing the medieval tourist destinations. During this time Ray meets a young woman, Chloë, associated with a film shoot, an actress. And among the actors on the streets taking part in the filming is a dwarf named Jimmy whom Ray is inexplicably fascinated by. But while the two men are out and about Harry calls for them and is extremely angry at their absence from their room.
At this point we are shown a flashback to the hit that caused Ray and Ken to hide out in Bruges. During a confession in a Roman Catholic Church Ray confesses to a murder and when the priest asks him who he murdered Ray replies, “You.” Then he proceeds to fire several rounds into the priest. So far so good. Mission accomplished but the bullets also killed several people waiting for confession including a young old boy. And he sees a note that the boy had written listing his sins which included not doing well enough in math class. Now we see that Ray is haunted by his “sin” against innocence.
And in the next scene while Ray is on a date with the actress, Ken takes the phone call from Harry. Harry tells Ken that he sent them to Bruges to give Ray a pleasant send off before he has Ken kill him. When Ken objects Harry explains that killing a kid is a mistake that can’t be allowed and Ray has to pay the price. It’s part of Harry’s personal moral code. Of course, Harry seems like an unhinged psychopath but apparently, he has a code. Ken agrees to the hit.
Meanwhile Ray’s “date” takes a very odd turn. While Ray and Chloë amorously engaged in her bed, a former boyfriend (or a grifting partner of hers, Eirik confronts them and threatens Ray with a pistol. Ray quickly disarms Eirik and during a struggle fires off a blank round next to Eirik’s face, blinding him in one eye and causing Chloë to escort Eirik to the hospital.
The next day Ray goes out to a nearby park. Ken follows him with a silenced pistol prepared to carry out the hit. He sees Ray on a bench with his back to him and as he runs up to shoot him, he sees that Ray is about to commit suicide with a pistol. Ken shouts to Ray and prevents the suicide.
Needles to say in the next moments Ray explains how guilty he feels about the death of the child and Ken explains why he was running up behind Ray with a drawn pistol. After a protracted discussion Ken decides that he can’t kill Ray and tells him to get on a train and disappear into the European hinterlands to avoid being rubbed out by Harry. As Ray leaves Ken speaks to Harry on the phone and tells him he’s let Ray go. Ray goes ballistic and smashes up the phone in his home and screams abuse and profanity at his wife and children. He informs her that he is headed to Bruges on a matter of “honor.”
Back on the train Ray is apprehended by the police for injuring Eirik with his own pistol and is jailed in Bruges. Eventually Chloë bails him out and he spends the day with her walking around town. When Harry arrives, he and Ken climb to the top of a local church tower and once there Harry orders Ken to shoot it out with him. But Ken refuses. He puts his gun down and tells Harry to what he needs to. Harry raves and abuses Ken but tells Ken he can’t kill him because he recognizes that Ken is doing what he believes is right. But he still shoots Ken in the leg out of blind anger. While up in the tower Harry finds out that Ray and Chloë are sitting on a bench at the bottom of the tower. Harry leaves Ken in the tower and runs down to kill Ray. But before Harry can reach Ray, Ken jumps off the high tower and with his dying breath tells Ray that Harry has come to kill him.
Ray flees from Harry and reaches his hotel room to retrieve his gun. The pregnant hotel owner refuses to get out of Harry’s way when he demands to go up to kill Ray in his room. Ray tells Harry that he will jump out of his room window into the canal so that Harry won’t have to shoot past the hotel owner. Ray jumps into the canal and lands on a barge passing by. Harry fires and strikes Ray in the chest. Ray gets off the barge and staggers through the streets and finds himself inside the movie set. The dwarf Jimmy is dressed as a young schoolboy. Ray continues to stumble through the street and eventually Harry catches up to him and shoots him twice more in the back. But one of the bullets exits Ray’s body and strikes Jimmy in the head. When Harry reaches Ray, he sees Jimmy and thinks he has killed a child. He says, “So that’s what it’s like.” Ray tries to tell Harry that Jimmy isn’t a child but is too weak from his injuries. Then Harry takes his gun and shoots himself in the mouth. The movie ends with Ray narrating that if he survives the shooting, he will find the family of the boy he killed and perform whatever punishment they demand of him. He also muses over whether hell is being stuck in Bruges forever. And he does admit he hopes he lives.
Saying this is a black comedy is an understatement. But make no mistake, comedy is exactly what it is intended to be. The movie is laced with sarcasm, irony and comical scenes and dialog that plays on the outrageous and callous behavior of Ray and most of the other cast. Ken seems to be the closest thing to a normal human being in the movie. He spares Ray and then lays down his own life to save him. But surprisingly both Ray and Harry also both seem to have one limit to their ruthlessness. They seem to recognize the sanctity of innocent children. This movie is bizarre. I won’t pretend that it doesn’t have many faults. It’s laced with profanity, loaded with sociopathic behavior and provides a somewhat sympathetic portrayal of gangsters and other assorted low lives. But it does tell a compelling story of two men who have some sparks of humanity mixed in with their brutal careers. Recommended for fans of gangster movies who are not easily offended by gratuitous violence and coarseness.