Haines His Way

I will not prejudice (or enlighten, as the case my be) my comments by first reading the prior posts.

I approached “Tiger Cruise” with a bit of apprehension – this was going to be a Disney weekly TV TeenGirl Flick about by a significant portion of my adult life (serving at sea with the Navy) -What a pleasant surprise! (And scripted by a lady alien too boot )

The film not only extols the virtues of “Those Who serve, Going Down the Sea in Ships”, but puts equal emphasis on the service of the loved ones left behind to cope with a household missing a parent.

The plot outline is apparent early on, but it is a pleasure to watch the creative team color in the bold lines with a pleasant palette of warm colors; like many mystery films, the joy is in the journey not the resolution. The relatively heavy-handed underscoring is reminiscent of the wonderful films of the 50s and serves the project well.

The plot touched on many memories: 12 hours notice to move my family out of potential harms way before deployed into the Atlantic to confront the Cuban Missile Crises; the retired Marine’s comment “Well, we all know who did it” reminded me of the hours spent ensuring my Nukes were tested and ready and pouring over charts preparing an amphibious invasion of Egypt while our cruiser was screaming across the Mediterranean after the “Liberty” was sunk – let’s face it, “We All Knew Who Did It”. There were the real and present dangers steaming in the Gulf of Tonkin, guiding our planes in attacking the North Vietnamese while carefully avoiding the Red Chinese; and the days of watchful uncertainty as we thrust through the North China Sea at the heart of North Korea to test out their readiness and evaluate their reactions. The screen play nicely highlighted not only the dangers to self, but the concern for family, and depicted the frustration that always accompanies uncertainty, not only of the future, but of the facts of the present.

But more than awaken memories of sea stories, it really hit home in highlighting how career service people lavish so much attention and affection on their at-sea charges, and often have too little left to share with their own left behind at home.

I was “at-the ready” looking for what I expected to be a flock of Hollywood induced technical errors; to my surprise the only glaring mistake I noticed, the screenplay had already addressed (Tina is seen escorting her sister off of the flight deck after we have clearly established that “no way” were the Tigers going to be on deck during flight ops. The scene does its dramatic duty, and few observers will catch the glitch).

It was heartwarming to see the ships cooks given equal billing with the pilots! (Must have been the Woman’s Touch”.)

Instead of a thinly disguised “Top Gun” recruitment film we have a film rooting for the families left behind –

der Brucer

PS: BZ=Bravo Zulu, Navy Jargon for “Well Done”.

I don't know the name of the cracker I favor.  It's round, and a little darker brown than most, has a somewhat different texture than most, and it slightly sweeter.  You could eat it plain and take it for a not-so-sweet cookie.  Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?

People rarely do.

Actually, I think I know exactly what you're talking about.
They are a wheat Breton Cracker - darker than usual, sweetish, and make a lousy cheese cracker becasue they tend to crumble like a Lorna Doone cookie.

der Brucer

Thank you for the lovely review, DB!

Now that I am momentarily in your good graces, perhaps you would share how this project came about. We have a joint screenplay credit and no hint of "story" credit.

der Brucer

I did that all by myself!

No shared credit with God - I mean the sky, the clouds....?

der Brucer

Funniest news quote of the day... I was reading an article about this idiot named Vanderford in San Francisco who faked his own beheading in a gruesome video which was shown and reported all over the world as real. Now the truth has come out - that the whole thing was a sick hoax filmed in his garage. It turns out that this poor excuse for a human being works for Wells Fargo in SF and is, of course, very much alive. The last line in the article: "Vanderford expressed the hope that his stunt would not affect his bank job."

My TV has been graced throughout the day with the "candid" interviews with this jerk in his BVDs:


AP Photo/Ron Harris
Aug. 7, 2004: Benjamin Vanderford, 22, at his home in San Francisco.

AP Newstory reports:

Shrugging and taking a drink from a diet soda, Vanderford said he originally made the video as a way to draw attention to his campaign for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He filmed the footage at a friend's house, using fake blood.

Two words explains it all - San Francisco, Politics.

der Brucer

(And with the Video coverage this guy is getting - no dates, not even in San Franciso!)

Beautiful pictures, Jane. Truly spectacular!

I think it's swell seeing where we all live.

...And our pets.

DB - I sent you a long PM to answer your question. As I have a history of PM's going astray. let me know if you got it.

Yes, Mail Received - loved the Stamps:

Thanks RLP.  I stopped at "as you saw" because we will see tonight.

And speaking of pets, and because I have nothing better to do, here is my cat Tumbly, who says that he does not like to have his picture taken.

Whoops....

 

Tumbly is very handsome.  Is he called that because he tumbled a lot as a kitten?

And speaking of pets, and because I have nothing better to do, here is my cat Tumbly, who says that he does not like to have his picture taken.

That's it! Scare my birds

Now that I've pot-shotted at the WP's proofers , let me congratulate their writers:

From the lead Editoral in the WP:

THERE HAVE always been beggars outside palaces, and comfortable people have always preserved their capacity for happiness by screening out other people's pain.

der Brucer (who loves a well turned phrase as much as Barnum loves a well chiseled chest)