Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus

Points of Ponderation…..Episode 2.17

A semi-regular attempt to address some of life’s minutiae that might otherwise be overlooked…..

 

 

 

 

 

apatowDirector Judd Apatow on stress eating over Donald Trump: “I think it tests our ability to not want to numb out. There’s so many things that are hard to hear every day that you do want to have some Oreos. Like people say, what do you invest in during the Trump era? I feel like, Hostess Cakes. Most of us are just scared and eating ice cream.” No, not most of us Judd. The vast majority of real Americans outside the liberal Lands of Make Believe in New York, Chicago, & Hollywood are mature functioning adults with common sense & a soul. You enjoy those Twinkies though.

 

 


I’m not a green thumb at all, but some of y’all probably are, so here you go.

 

 

Very sad to hear of the imminent closing of Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus, which has been beguiling children of all ages for a century & a half. I loved the circus when I was a kid. Unfortunately a combination of the modern entertainment landscape & pressure from animal rights wackos doomed The Greatest Show On Earth. I’ll refrain from a rant about animal “rights”, but I can speak to the entertainment angle. I’ve opined in the past that I think brick & mortar bookstores might eventually become obsolete thanks to Amazon & other online book sellers. Netflix and streaming services in general have surely had an impact on movie theaters. The Internet itself can provide hours of infotainment. I’m as much of a homebody as anyone, but I’m not so sure that’s a good thing for any of us. It seems like our population is becoming less & less sociable, with business & technology as willing accomplices. We can shop at home. Watch movies at home. Download & read books onto our e-readers without setting foot into a library or bookstore. Food delivery & drive-thrus decrease the need of sitting down in cpotatoa restaurant for a nice meal. Grocery delivery is already a thing in many big cities and will likely become more widespread. How long until all schools are online, eliminating snow days & the spread of disease among children?? Many places of employment already offer work from home options. Pretty soon we’re going to be a nation full of Howard Hughes-esque hermits, the necessity…and the amusement…of ever leaving home virtually eliminated.

 

 


Food for thought.

 

 

 

Speaking of Donald Trump…

Whoopi Goldberg. Barbara Streisand. Al Sharpton. Amy Schumer. Cher. Jon Stewart. Miley Cyrus. Samuel L. Jackson. Raven Symone. Chelsea Handler. What do all of these people have in common?? They are all “celebrities” who indicated months ago that if Trump won the election they’d leave the United States. What else do they have in common?? If my information is correct…they are all full of crap and aren’t going anywhere because they know where their bread is buttered – right here in the good ol’ USA. Just like many similar people of their ilk they like to hear themselves talk but don’t have the cahonas to back up the garbage they spew. I wish someone…as a joke (sort of)…would just rent moving vans and have them show up at these morally bankrupt sycophants’ houses. I haven’t been able to verify it, but I think I read somewhere that alleged comedian George Lopez has already or atleast indicated that he is soon going to actually follow thru with his promise to leave the country. If that is the case then I atleast have to respect him for being a man of his word.

 

 

I have had occasion…twice…to catch the 1989 rom-com When Harry Met Sally on television recently. The first time I was pleased. The second harrysallytime my heart was filled with absolute joy. When doing my 100 Favorite Films series a few years ago I ranked it 46th, and upon further reflection I think I probably undervalued it by atleast a couple dozen spots.

 

 

 


 

Yep. Exactly.

 

 

 

stormjesusUpdate: I’m still doing well with staying away from sociopolitical debates on social media, and I’m not posting anything controversial or quarrelsome on my own page. However, I still do a bit of trolling and recently observed this gem in a thread discussing climate change: “The Right seems to think God controls the weather, which he does not.” Seriously…someone actually offered that up as a thoughtful opinion. I can tell that my transition from annoyed dissenter to quiet observer is going well because that particular comment made me laugh out loud rather than become ticked off as I likely would have not long ago. Look, to each their own. I understand that people have a variety of spiritual & theological views, and that’s fine. However, my Bible tells me…in the 8th chapter of Matthew…that “when Jesus got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, ‘Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’”. So yeah…God does control the weather. And that’s all I have to say about that.

100 Favorite Movies…..66-70

70 The Glen Miller Story

I’m a big fan of Jimmy Stewart and I love big band & jazz music, so this movie provides an irresistible combo. Stewart is quite the Miller doppelganger, which I assume is a prime reason he was cast in the film. June Allyson provides perky support as Miller’s wife, and a pre-MASH Harry Morgan plays Miller’s best buddy. The story follows Glen Miller from his struggling musician days through his rise to fame to his untimely demise in a presumed plane crash during World War II. I decided to watch this movie years ago simply because I had become a fan of Stewart and wanted to see as many of his films as possible. But the movie made me a Glenn Miller fan and I continue to enjoy his music immensely.

 

69 The Shrek Trilogy

I have to admit…I didn’t see any Shrek films until all three were already out and available on video, so I’m fairly new to the Shrek universe. I didn’t bother with them at first because I assumed they were kiddie films. However, I decided to watch one on television a few years back and have since seen all three. I was both right and wrong in my original assessment. They are undoubtedly geared toward an demographic far younger than I, but on the other hand sometimes it’s okay to temporarily feel like a kid again. For anyone unfamiliar (which I assume would only be folks who, like me, are both single and childless because anyone with children is surely familiar with Shrek), this animated trilogy follows the adventures of a surly but loveable ogre, his talking donkey sidekick, and the ogre’s lady love. There are a host of other characters. Lending their considerable voice talents to the three films are an all star team of folks such as Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Justin Timberlake, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, and many more. Most of the visual humor and jokes in the series parody well known fairy tales, which is a huge part of the charm for me…I love parodies and who doesn’t appreciate childhood fairy tales. The animation is computer generated, which far exceeds the animation most of us grew up with. These movies need to be viewed in high definition to really get the full effect.

 

68 The Greatest Show On Earth

Once again my favorite actor Jimmy Stewart is paired with something cool. This time it’s the circus. I think this is one of Stewart’s best performances. It is certainly low key and subtle, as he spends the entire film in clown makeup. The bigger draw for most people, I suppose, would be Charlton Heston in one of his finest performances as well. Heston kind of became a sad parody of himself in the latter part of his career, but this is one of his earlier movies and he shows why he was once one of the top box office attractions in the world. Directed by famed auteur Cecil B. Demille (I’m ready for my close-up…indeed), the story follows the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus as it travels from town to town. We meet several of the performers and become involved in their lives behind the big top, so to speak. That behind the scenes view reveals a lot of romance, intrigue, drama, and tragedy. Basically it’s a soap opera set at the circus. Demille is known for his lavish, over-the-top, extravagant productions, and he doesn’t disappoint with The Greatest Show On Earth. Like so many beloved memories of yesteryear, the circus has almost slipped into being a remnant from a bygone era. Sure they are still around, but they are no longer an event. Even when I was a kid not that long ago it was a big deal when the circus came to town. Nowadays kids are into their video games and computers and iPods and couldn’t possibly care less about the circus. But watch this movie and you will be reminded of just how extraordinary it used to be.

 

67 Ocean’s 13

In 2001 George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt teamed up to remake the 1960 Rat Pack romp Ocean’s 11, about robbing a Vegas casino. The remake was a smashing success and unlike the original spawned sequels. The first movie will be dealt with later in this list. The second movie, Ocean’s 12, was poorly written and quite forgettable. The third movie was Ocean’s 13, and it’s a nice rebound from its disappointing predecessor. This time the gang returns to Las Vegas and they don’t actually rob a casino as much as they…turn the odds in their favor through uniquely nefarious means. The bad guy is played by Al Pacino, which automatically makes this a must see. As with the other Ocean’s films, don’t try to interject logic or make sense out of the proceedings. This is pure popcorn cinema, escapism at its best.

 

66 The Frat Pack Three Pak (Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, & Wedding Crashers)

Anyone who grew up in the 80’s is familiar with The Brat Pack (Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, and a few others). And while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I would not necessarily call the modern Frat Pack imitators. The only similarity is the name homage, which was itself a takeoff on the 1960’s Rat Pack of Frank Sinatra and his pallies. The Frat Pack is generally thought to be comprised of Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Owen and Luke Wilson, Steve Carell, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, and Seth Rogen. Some combination of those actors has starred in a host of films together with a wide array of results. Zoolander and Starsky & Hutch…not so good. Old School and Blades of Glory…much better. But for me three Frat Pack films stand head and shoulders above the crowd and have stood up to numerous repeated viewings. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy stars Ferrell with Carell and Rudd in very amusing supporting roles. Vaughn, Stiller, Black, Rogen and Luke Wilson all have brief cameos. Ferrell plays an over-the-top misogynistic 70’s news anchor whose world is turned upside down when he’s forced to share the anchor desk with a woman. Anchorman is among the most quotable movies of the past two decades and is just pointless yet harmless fun. The 40 Year Old Virgin stars Carell as the titular character, with Rogen and Rudd in vital supporting roles that really make this film work. It’s hilarious but sweet, with more quotable dialogue and a few really memorable scenes. I really like Rudd in this film. Wedding Crashers, starring Vaughn and Owen Wilson, is a movie I really like but probably not as much as some people. I don’t think it’s really any better than any other Frat Pack film, which doesn’t mean anything negative it just means my praise seems to not rise to outlandish and undeserved peaks of hyperbole. Will Ferrell makes possibly one of the best cameos of all time, and to say that Rachel McAdams (who I someday intend to make my bride) is quite fetching may be one of the biggest understatements I could conceive. Plus there’s Christopher Walken and that’s just the cherry on top.

 

 

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