Left to my own devices

Our latest Pic of the Week is UK diver Matty Lee. Enjoy.

It was October 1998, and some friends and I were on our way to Peoria to 'the boat' (aka gambling). The alpha friend was driving, I was riding shotgun, and we'd picked-up a couple of acquaintances in Bloomington-Normal, and were on our way. It was the early evening, and we were all looking forward to a night of fun and excitement. Unfortunately, we had a bit more excitement -- however brief -- than we'd bargained for. There is an interchange to navigate, northwest of Bloomington, to head toward Peoria. While by no means a difficult interchange, if you're not paying attention it is possible to almost miss it. This occurred on our '98 adventure and, to compensate, our driver swerved over to the exit lane, crossing in front of two vehicles (including a semi), and I remember shutting my eyes because, if I was going to die like that, I didn't want to see it.

The new Star Trek movie opens this weekend and, before I see it, I thought it might be a good time to rank the previous twelve Trek films. You might ask why not wait until I've seen the new one? That's because there is, if we're being honest, a cool-off period needed after seeing a movie before being able to assess it as honestly and as objectively as possible. Regardless, you're about to read an indisputable list of truth regarding the first twelve Star Trek films. Here we go!

The dreams all have a common theme, that of escapism. In them, I am unfettered by the intricacies and complexities of modern life. Responsibilities are, for the most part, cast aside. There is a sense of freedom, or at least of one of the elusive definitions of what freedom could be. Also, sometimes, a sense of chaos (which can provide its own freedom, of sorts). What works in the dreams wouldn't likely work very well in waking life, but they do provide a nice diversion from the every day world.

Our latest Pic of the Week is actor Travis Tope, perhaps the best thing about this summer's Independence Day: Resurgence . Here's looking ahead to more work from this talented young man!

We're just a little over halfway through 2016, and I've seen 26 of the year's movies (so far). I thought that now would be a good time to rank those movies! Of course, this is just my opinion, one of many. But if you haven't seen some of the films in, say, the top ten, they try and watch them if/when you can. Ok, here we go.... 1. Hello, My Name is Doris 2. Sing Street 3. Eye in the Sky 4. Deadpool 5. The Conjuring 2 6. 10 Cloverfield Lane 7. Midnight Special 8. A Hologram for the King 9. Central Intelligence 10. The Shallows 11. Captain America: Civil War 12. The Nice Guys 13. Everybody Wants Some!! 14. Independence Day: Resurgence 15. The Jungle Book 16. Hail, Caesar! 17. Love & Friendship 18. The Witch 19. The Forest 20. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising 21. The Legend of Tarzan 22. The Boy 23. Now You See Me 2 24. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice 25. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping 26. Knight of C...