Sermons from Second

This is the weirdest March in a long time for me.  I'm busy...but I'm happy busy.  I absolutely love what I'm doing.  I have never lied about that.  If I had the money, I would do what I do for free.  I love it.  So being busy doesn't bother me at all.

So...why is this blog worthy?? It shouldn't be...right?

Opening Day is six days away.  Actually, the first pitch is roughly 6 days and 30 minutes away as I write this.  And I think a lot about the Reds.  However....I'm not mentally there.  I know how the Reds and Opening Day and night consume me.  I normally can't wait and everything is baseball.  However, right now, my mind is elsewhere.  I'm thinking broomball and softball.  I'm thinking work stuff.  I'm thinking a lot...and the Reds are definitely part of that...but they are not the front of my thoughts like normal.

In no way does that say my love for the Reds has reduced at all, or my love of baseball.  Next week I'm going to be happier than most people could ever imagine when the season starts.

I think what I'm trying to say is overall there is MORE to be happier about and that I am enjoying than in previous years.  Things are great at home with Jennifer, Quinn, and Azrael.  Not that they weren't last year...but I am just so happy there.  Miami Entertainment is moving forward and MEGA...just wow.  It's great with them.  I really enjoy MEGA and have a great time with them.  They're coming over for WrestleMania.

So really...I just feel good.  Playing softball feels good.  Coaching broomball feels good.  Work and home life are great.  So while I am thrilled to have an important part of my life back...it doesn't get to consumer my life yet in April.  I'm actually missing two games in April to for things at work.  (I could miss another...but let's not go overboard...)

Come mid-May, I'm sure they will be a bigger part of things....but right now, I'm fine with the Reds sharing my time right now.  My students, Jennifer, Quinn, Azrael, friends, and work deserve some of my time also.  

Round Tripper Reviews: Batman (1989)

I'm going to try to blog more, and as part of that I'm going to try to do some more reviews.  I'm starting with the Batman movie from 1989 starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson and directed by Tim Burton.  I'm going to try to write comments as I watch them.

Batman (1989)

This was the first movie I was allowed to see without any adults with me in the theater.  My mom dropped my cousin Jeff and I off and we went to this movie.  And what a ride it was!  I've watched it a few times since then, and it still held up to me.  Let's see how it does now.

I love the opening credits, which is something I rarely think much about.  Elfman's music is perfect, and leads into The Batman stopping a crime that mirrors the crime that made him become The Bat.  This is followed by the always brilliant Robert Wuhl's introduction in the movie.  I absolutely loved him in the movie and think the Alexander Knox character is brilliant.  I wish Knox had been added to the comic book universe, as it is truly a fun character.  Either way, the character is one of the highlights of the movie for me.

Jack Nicholson...Jack is a tremendous actor...easily one of the best of my lifetime...and most people's.  He is amazing...and his role as The Joker is no different.  It is definitely a DIFFERENT take on The Joker than a lot of others, but I'm able to set apart the different universes....golden age comic, pre-Crisis comic, Burton movie, Batman Animated, etc.  They are all distinctly different and can have different takes on characters as long as you keep the basics of the character mostly the same.  One of the FEW characterizations I would fully criticize in this way in Bane in Batman and Robin which was NOTHING like the original Bane character...but I'm not sure we will get to a review of that anytime soon...

They do a good job of making the city feel like Gotham City, which is one of the most important "characters" in the Batman Universe!  The character of the city and it's people are correct in this movie.  The corrupt police.  The mayor that is blinded by making things better.

Harvey Dent as Billy Dee Williams...I always had issues with this.  He didn't have a Harvey Dent feel...even going past the racial changes.  He really wanted to be Two-Face in a sequel...I would have had to see that to judge him as Harvey Dent.

Commissioner Gordon (Pat Hingle) was amazing.

Kim Bassinger is easily one of the most beautiful women of the 1980s, and is amazing here.  Her as Vicki Vale was amazing, and her and Robert Wuhl/Alexander Knox was brilliant.  At points in the script BOTH characters were set to die.

Jack Palance...wow they did have huge name actors in this movie.  He was awesome!

Interesting fact-in the original script Dick Grayson was in it!  I think it was better without him...but it could have been interesting.

Originally considered for the role of Batman were Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Selleck, and Bill Murray.  The ONLY one from that group that I think would come close to Michael Keaton is Tom Selleck.  He would, at least, make an amazing Bruce Wayne.  Not sure about Batman.  Adam West also wanted to be Batman again...which was an obvious no.  This wasn't campy Batman.

Tim Curry, Willem Dafoe, David Bowie, and James Wood were considered for the Joker, and Robin Williams campaigned for the role.  Tim Curry could have been amazing, Robin Williams interesting, and the others I'm torn on.

There was way too much smoking in this movie.

How did Alexander Knox and Vicki Vale not know what Bruce Wayne looks like????

Michael Gough is Alfred to me.  He was spot on.

"Oh and...give Knox a grant."  Wonderful!!!

I love the scene where the Joker takes over the underworld by killing the guy with the joy buzzer.

The Joker kills someone on the steps of City Hall.  The police are there and do nothing to try to stop him.

And....something came up that I have to stop for now.  So.....more later.