Well, dear readers, I have noticed recently that unpopular opinions are unpopular. That was quite the realization. And it is especially true in the year 2020, where to not go along with the sheep/herd mentality means your opinions are not only unpopular with the populace but they are ridiculed, shamed, blamed, and spat upon with not-so-quiet fervid fervor. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, actually, and it’s the worst part of social media. If you even so much as point out something that is true, if it goes against what they’re trying to put forth, you’re done for. I believe they call these types social media warriors and I’m declaring war on the warriors. These are the same people who cannot abide any kind of bullying and yet who bully like crazy should you challenge them or even attempt to ask a question. These same types are the first to jump on any what the wags call cancel culture things. I’d like to cancel these cancel culture people is what I’d like to do. Or better yet, I look forward to the day when the cancelling is done in their direction and that day WILL come, oh yes, that day will come. But the excellent thing about social media is the now easy ability to block a person so that they can’t see you and you can’t see them. One rather vociferous actor type was calling out a bunch of people on some thread, and basically calling them expletives and saying, “I’d never work with any of you.” I guess it doesn’t occur to such folks that anyone in a position of casting seeing that would not go near such a person – certainly I wouldn’t. What the HELL am I talking about? Oh yes, unpopular opinions being unpopular. Well, there has to be room for all kinds of opinions. That is what makes the world go round, unless, that is, you believe the world is flat. It’s enough to make one want to eat kale. I gotta tell you.
Yesterday, I had some unpopular opinions and ask me if I care if anyone found them unpopular. Hint: I don’t. I did get eight-and-a-half hours of sleep, straight through, which was great. Once up, I did a few things that needed doing, answered e-mails, then moseyed on over to the mail place where I picked up no packages and one five-dollar residual. I don’t think five bucks even buys a happy meal anymore. But, speaking of happy meals, I then went to McDonald’s, got some food, and came home and ate it all up. Hadn’t had McDonald’s in a while – it was okay. And that’s all I ate for the entire day, which is what I have to start doing now as I must lose some weight. I finished listening to Die Bajadere of Emmerich Kalman, which I enjoyed, then listened to some wonderful music by Eric Zeisl, which prompted me to then sing If You Knew Zeisl Like I Knew Zeisl in the key of F# with a sudden change to Gb mid-stream. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching a motion picture on DVD called The Green Slime. I always found the title odd, since the green slime are actually people in monster suits. This is one seriously bad motion picture. I saw it on its release at the Picwood Theater, if memory serves. Back then, it did have a certain camp value in the year of our Lord, 1968. I must have seen it just three weeks before moving to New York. I do recall finding the director’s name amusing – Kinji Fukasaku. The film stars Robert Horton, Luciana Paluzzi, and Richard Jaeckel. The film is interesting in that it was shot in Japan with all caucasion actors, but a Japanese crew. In Japan it was called Gamma 3: Great Space War. Here they were absolutely going for the camp value. They even added a title song for the US. In a reverse of what usually happens, the US version ran ninety minutes while the Japanese version ran seventy-seven. Seventy-seven would be better. The direction is pretty bad, the effects are, well, laughable, and the creatures are pure Japanese cheese. The transfer is okay.
I then watched the first half of The King and I, the much-lambasted Blu-ray that I have no problem with because most of it looks great. Yes, perhaps a handful of scenes have had the blue pushed a bit too far and those scenes are easy to spot as they have a milkier appearance (not opticals – those are terrible in this version or any others) – but most of it has terrific detail and accurate color. The wags would have you believe there’s a blue wash over the entire thing – that obviously is a load of hooey – the scenes at the beginning with Brynner sitting in a yellow set has no blue at all. Anyway, I really love the movie – that’s now an unpopular opinion, as the cancel culture has gone after the musical and said it’s time to retire it. Uh huh. Then, for fun, I watched the beginning of the Todd-AO version of Oklahoma – it’s simply breathtaking in its clarity. I once was lucky enough to see a Todd-AO print and it was like nothing I’d ever seen. Oklahoma isn’t my favorite film or musical, but it’s breathtaking, visually.
Then I listened to music and relaxed, read up on a few things, and that was that.
Today, I’ll arise when I arise, but it can be mostly a ME day doing ME things, whatever they are. I do believe there will be one package arriving, so I’ll gather that up at some point, and I have to figure out what to eat – was thinking about may ordering from Stanley’s, picking it up, and bringing it back here. We shall see. Otherwise, I’ll just relax, watch stuff, listen to stuff, and do whatever little things need doing.
This week is all Kritzerland show stuff and beginning to plan the August show, now that I know what it is. Plus, I must continue the garage hunt.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, arise when I arise, have a mostly ME day doing ME things, hopefully pick up a package, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had the realization that unpopular opinions are unpopular.