Left to my own devices

Saw Captain America last night. It was good. A summer superhero movie that took its time telling a story, and was about the size of the fight in the dog, not the dog in the fight. Good values, good actors and good special effects. Oh... and it, ahem, starred Chris Evans....

Roger Ebert's recent blog post (worth a read, by the way) about becoming an "old fart" in an ever-changing world has inspired me to be write about my own view of the changes I've seen happen, and how I've tried to adapt to them. Sometimes, adaptation has occurred without a moment's thought, and sometimes it has been a struggle. I'm still not sure what exactly precipitates one reaction vs. another.

A few days ago I Tweeted a link to a list by Screen Junkies of the 10 Best British Comedy Actors . I received a few replies, all of which were expressing sincere shock and dismay at the exclusion of Rowan Atkinson (of Blackadder and Mr. Bean fame). Admittedly, it was an odd omission, especially on a list of British comedy actors, but one reason I posted the link was because it was a tad refreshing in that it listed performers who don't normally make such ranks. People like Peter Sallis and Frank Thornton, to name just two. I am, however, willing to embark upon my own list of Best Comedy Actors (note the omission of British from the title, as this will be an international gallery of rogues). After all, the gift of laughter is something to be cherish, isn't it?  Ok, so, here we go...

Troubled singer Amy Winehouse died yesterday. The cause of death is being described as "unexplained," but her history of drug and alcohol problems (which were bad enough to cause her to  develop emphysema )  have caused many to snicker as they play a guessing game about how she died. I will admit to even belting-out a few bars to her song Rehab yesterday after hearing of her death. But that sort of mocking has subsided to an overall sadness.

With a recent guest host stint on SNL, and a new movie in theaters with Mila Kunis, there's no stopping Justin Timberlake. So, here he is, our second pic o' the week!

In honor of the final Harry Potter film debuting last weekend to rave reviews (and a kick-ass box office), here is Daniel Radcliffe. And a horse.

It is said that the olfactory system is wonderful at transporting us in time. We catch a whiff of something, and it has the potential to send our brains reeling back to experiences long ago. We may remember our grandmother's kitchen, or a walk along the beach, or the guy in college that we liked who always kind of smelled like laundry (yes, there's a scent for that). Regardless, it's a pretty universal sensation. But I also think that there is something else, something potentially as strong as our sense of smell in vividly activating our memories, and that is music.

Andrew Sullivan has a great post up about not forgetting the early days (and deaths) of AIDS. Money quote:  It is vital the current generation know about this. Because we gays do not reproduce ourselves, we do not have the family networks that inform one generation of the ordeals of the last. The amnesia horrifies and angers me. We owe it to our war-dead to remember them.

A "frequent reader" of this blog sent me a link to an article, and asked what I thought about it, noting that it could prove to be a good topic for a blog post. How right they were. The article in question is one by Kelly Connor that appeared on Huffington Post . In it, Connor uses the common situation of elevator etiquette to illustrate what appears to be a decline in chivalry. The most pertinent part of the article is as follows:

So, every year, round abouts February or March, I have my very own movie awards, known far & wide (or at least in my household) as The Matt Awards . Basically, I pick my favorite films/actors/actresses, etc. of the year, in various categories, and make note of it for posterity. This year I am (ahem) a tad behind the ball on getting the 2010 awards selected, but have finally hunkered-down and decided. Honestly, it wasn't that difficult, as Inception proved to be -- far and way -- my favorite film of the year (challenged only by The King's Speech ). Here, then, are the  Matt Awards for 2010:

This week, Netflix managed to rile-up much of its customer base by changing its subscriptions services and prices. There has been a great wailing and gnashing of teeth on Twitter and Facebook from folks who now seem to have adopted "We're Not Gonna Take It!" as their theme song. What, dear reader, was the terrible wrong inflicted upon the Netflix user base?  Read it, and weep:

There are past-times that I just don't 'get.' The same is true for all of us. We all have certain hobbies & endeavors that give us pleasure, and they can be both appreciated and thought odd by those around us. So it goes. As long as no harm's done, what's the big deal, right? So that's why I don't understand hunting. True, it's a popular "sport," but popularity doesn't equate to comprehension. It's a legal past-time, it's been around since man could make sharp tools, and it will likely be around for eons to come. Still... what's it all about, eh?

They do not judge you. They do not care if you're fat, skinny, short, tall, black, white, Asian, beautiful, deformed, gay, straight, Republican or Democrat. They ask very little of you. Pretty much all they want is for you to love them and take care of them with food, water and shelter. In return, they'll be there for you, and appreciative to have you in their lives. I am referring, of course, to our pets.

Our spotlight this week shines on Chord Overstreet (gotta love the name), who has been in the news this week as possibly leaving or staying on the hit TV series Glee . Regardless of how that plays out, he wore the gold shorts well in the Rocky Horror episodes last October....

This past July 4th weekend, I had the.... experience... of going to the theater and watching Transformers 3-D . It was a two-and-a-half hour assault on the senses. I realize that's not a unique phrase but there really is no other way to describe this film. It was so bad, in fact, that I had to devote a blog post to the glory of it awfulness. If you wish to turn away now, that's fine. No one would blame you. Continue reading at your own risk.

I just had to respond to this commentary by Rabbi Boteach that was on Huffington Post a couple of days ago. The premise is that "godlessness" is causing Great Britain to go down the tubes (only 35% of the country's population believes in God, compared to 92% in the US). Basically, the rabbi wants to tie religiosity to success. Fair enough. In certain situations, no doubt one's religious convictions can help them to better themselves and society. But the opposite is also true. So religion is often a zero sum game in this regard. Just as importantly, so, too, is atheism. Someone who doesn't believe in a god, or a religious faith, is not necessarily better or worse than someone who does. Human beings are human beings.