Remembering 9/11 through TV and movies

I was 15 when 9/11 happened. I remember being in 9th grade and everyone talking about how the World Trade Center had come down. It wasn't until I got home when I found out the WTC was the Twin Towers.... I'd heard of the towers but didn't know they had this more "official" title. 
Instead of Pokémon being on WB (now the CW channel) on every afternoon when I got home from school, they had nothing but coverage of Ground Zero. At the time, I was just frustrated because my TV routine was disrupted for the rest of the week.
Meanwhile, New York City picking up the pieces, trying to make sense of what's happened while first responders searched the rubble for survivors. America came together with renewed love for their country. American flags were everywhere. And "God Bless the U.S.A." showed up in various capacities for years to come. Kristy Lee Cook did it one night on American Idol and Simon Cowell said it was a brilliant move. (She'd been in the bottom 3 every week leading up to that and because of that performance, she survived three more weeks before her top 7 finish).

It sounds completely ridiculous and selfish, but it wasn't until I saw this day depicted in a Robert Pattinson movie that I felt any emotional impact from it. Then over the years as I saw 9/11 depicted in other movies and TV series, I grew to appreciate it a lot more.
I'd be remiss to not mention the attacks in Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon in D.C. but almost all of the instances in this post derive from the WTC tragedy. I know the film "United 93" focused specifically on the passengers who fought against the hi-jackers before their plane crashed in Shanksville, but I thought it'd be a little too close to the real thing to watch.

And to get technical, none of these movies really talk about the day itself so much as showing the impact it left behind. How it changed people's lives and various issues it created in its aftermath. Issues some people still struggle with in real life.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I only saw this film the one time because it was an Oscar nomination so I'm basing my comments on the Wikipedia page.
In the movie, Tom Hanks is the dad who perished in the attacks. Meanwhile, his autistic son is struggling to cope with the loss. He finds a key in a vase and goes on a scavenger hunt, thinking it's just another of the scavenger hunts his dad used to play with him. In doing so, he befriends several strangers in the city and in a turnabout way, he's able to find peace and move forward. 

I don't remember much about seeing the movie. It's the sort of thing I'd only watch the one time. Mostly because he goes on this scavenger hunt and he doesn't find a hidden message at the end of it. Instead, it's about the journey more than the destination. And because he's autistic, he has a few mental breakdowns that were uncomfortable to watch. 
Reading about it, it sounded like there were a lot of mixed reviews. The term "Oscar bait" got thrown around a bunch.

Before moving onto the next one, one final tidbit:
Evgenia Medvedeva from Russia had a free skate program to the score from this movie. It's mostly a dramatic string arrangement with some city noise and audio talking about one of the towers being hit. She's skating around unaffected until the end when the phone rings, she picks it up and is frozen with shock. It was a really good routine, but it was a bizarre choice. Especially since I'm not sure how much she understood the context of the music, not being American. It was also one of those routines where some would argue that if the commentators have to explain what's happening, it's not designed very well. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oheKfyZEroA 
(I found a clip with no commentary so you can decide for yourself if you got anything out of it)

Remember Me

This was the movie that started all this for me. Because I was a huge Twi-Hard, this movie came across my radar and of course I had to see it.

Tyler Hawkins is a flawed character, a college student who's undecided about everything. He gets into a relationship with the daughter of a cop who gave him a hard time one night. Meanwhile, he and his father aren't on the best terms and his little sister, who feels invisible to their dad, is being bullied at school for being quriky and different. On the surface, the movie has nothing super extraordinary about it, but I personally enjoyed all of the characters.

Then the gut punch came and I never forgot it. 
Tyler caused a disturbance at his sister's school after she was bullied at a sleepover. He's meeting his dad at his office while they work to patch things over. But his dad takes his sister to school and he's there waiting for him... cut to the classroom and the blackboard reads "Tuesday, September 11, 2001." We see Tyler and the camera pans back until we see him in one of the towers.
Yeah... I cried out "oh, no!!" as soon as I realized what was happening. And just like that, a movie I thoroughly enjoyed was completely destroyed.
The craziest part is that I really wanted to find out what happened to the other characters. His girlfriend and his best friend in paticular. Did his sister and dad get close and she overcome getting bullied in school? To this day, I still think about that. 

In the trailer, Robert Pattinson starts by quoting Gandhi, saying "Whatever you do in life will be insignificant but it is very important that you do it." 
And yeah, it's really cool how his actions impacted so much in the end of the movie. It's just too bad he wasn't alive to see it.

Then there are two TV shows that have 9/11 as part of the character's backgrounds.

9-11: Lone Star

It's been so long that I'm going to need an Internet search to do justice to this.

Rob Lowe's character, Owen, was a firefighter in the Twin Towers. Before moving to Austin, he was part of a firehouse in New York. While responding to 9/11, he was one of the few members of his squad to make it out alive. (If I remember right, there was one episode dedicated to this day- he was in the tower, surrounded by fire and he made it out and someone else in the direct vicinity didn't). He remained supportive of his squad following 9/11 and would later move to Austin to begin a firehouse there. 
But as a result of his service, he developed lung cancer. This was something he ultimately overcome. Sadly, not all first responders in real life were that lucky. 

Jon Stewart from the Daily Show has spent years campaigning for proper medical compensation for the first responders who developed ilness for simply doing their job that day. Just one of many instances in our history where our heroes are underserved and underappreciated.

Occasionally on FOX during the show, they'll show commercials for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, founded in tribute to Stephen Siller, one of the many firefighters who lost their lives that day, and Rob Lowe is the celebrity spokesperson promoting it.

A Million Little Things

This was the inclusion that ultimately inspired this whole post.

This series begins with family patriarch, Jon Dixon, committing suicide. And the rest of it shows how his family and their group of friends cope with his loss as well as various problems of their own. All of which they're able to overcome because they have each other.

The first season reveals around the mystery behind Jon's suicide. And while we might never get the full story, we at least have some clues.

The biggest one was the 9/11 connection. Not unlike some famous names like Seth MacFarlane (something I found out just now), John was scheduled to be on one of the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers and he missed his flight. He and his roommate were both scheduled to be on the flight, but he was late getting to the gate. So his friend died and he was left with survivor's guilt. While this twist of fortune changed his perspective on life and made him a generous individual to those around him, a combination of this guilt and his work finances resulted in his decision to take his own life. His friend's girlfriend, Barbara Morgan, had also received money from Jon's will and it wasn't until several episodes into the arc we found out who she was and her past connection to him.

...I had a lot more in mind to talk about but now that I'm here, I realize I don't have as much. it does bring up an interesting point, though. I'm sure there are several hundred, if not thousands, of people who missed out on being among the 3,000+ who died that day because of some crazy circumstance. A random encounter or an ill-fated decision that caused you to be late for where you needed to be that day. It's one of those instances where you see the butterfly effect at its most apparent. How one or multiple decisions changed your life's trajectory or that of others. 

Can't think of a better way to close this than with a 9/11 inspired movie quote. This time from "Love, Actually." 

When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love.

Again, another of those thinking points. I can't begin to imagine what those people went through- which is why I don't think I'd be able to watch a movie from that perspective. But it's a solid reminder to tell people how much you care about them- for all you know, it could be the last time.

Things you learn from watching... Judge Judy

I can’t pinpoint the exact time Judge Judy became part of my weekly routine but I’m sure it was sometime in 2011. And I watched it nearly every weekday between 4-5pm. And then up until the show was ultimately cancelled in 2021.
I think I knew of its existence before this, but the first clear memory I have is of the parody segment on The Amanda Show- which is now known as one of those many Nickelodeon shows where Dan Schneider (and other network producers) got away with child abuse for years. But they had a segment called “Judge Trudy.” Every case was about kids suing their parents for making them eat vegetables or grounding them- nonsense like that. Trudy would always yell at the parents, side with the plaintiff and the segment ended with dancing lobsters coming into court. Also, the bailiff was her trusty sidekick. Lobsters and favoritism aside, it was a fairly accurate representation of what the actual series was like.

Judge Judy was great for honesty but also making some people look REALLY stupid. Whether it’s an idiotic lawsuit or weak defense, nobody is safe from her wrath. And as she often reminds us, it’s her playpen and there’s only one attitude and it’s hers.

While the show is no longer running new episodes, there’s no expiration date on the things it’s taught me over the years. I’m sure I’m not the only one who learned things from it. It’s arguably one of the earliest reality shows created- but it’s as educational as it is entertaining.

Quickly, I should preface she doesn’t always get it right. I’m sure I can count on one hand, maybe two, certain decisions I disagreed with. And I’m sure she only sided with the other person because the first one couldn’t get their story straight or they were nervous. I’d be too if I was standing in front of her, even if I knew I did nothing wrong.

First off, she has certain adages she’ll use so often that you can see them coming a mile away if you watch frequently enough.

"If you tell the truth, you don’t have to have a good memory."

Plain and simple, she’ll figure out very quickly if you’re lying because she can tell when you’re making things up. Avoiding direct eye contact is a typical example. “Don’t look over there, look over here” is a quick follow up
But also don’t come too prepared… meaning, don’t have a speech prepared or a story memorized. She makes her judgement with a combination of experience, intelligence and intutition- if you're too rehearsed, she'll think you're not telling the "whole truth and nothing but the truth"... or something to that effect.

"There are no courts for 'almost marrieds'”

if you’re living together as a couple but without going through the process of making it official, she is less likely to rule in favor of anyone. People break up and turn around to sue each other for rent or property that had been mutually agreed upon prior to that. Unless the suit is over something she deems reasonable, she’d rather let people sort it out on their own and not waste her time with the details

"You ate the steak!"

If you’re suing because you dissatisfied with goods or services after using/indulging in them, she’ll give you grief. It’s like ordering a steak at a restaurant and refusing to pay after you ate it because it wasn't cooked to your liking. When the normal thing to do is bring attention to the staff beforehand so they can promptly remedy the situation.
A few times people were hired to do photos for events or made a dress for prom, the people doing the hiring didn’t like it and refused to pay. Communication is paramount. If it’s a reasonable complaint that can be remedied in a timely manner, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be addressed. But when people put in the work to do something, they should at least be compensated for that.

"Where did you think you were coming today? The beach?"

For those who don’t bring their evidence into court and try to come up with some lame excuse for it. Once or twice she'll have a case recalled so the evidence can be faxed or emailed in... and one time, I saw a recalled case brought back, the evidence was still insufficent and she threw the case out.
She doesn’t read written statements. She needs the witnesses in court or it’s just another case of “if the evidence isn’t here in court, it doesn’t exist”. And you can’t say what another person not in court said because it’s hearsay, inadmissible in her court.

"You don’t come into my court unless you have clean hands"

If you expect Judge Judy to help you, you need to come to court with “clean hands”. Meaning you don’t have some sort of legal transgression that doesn’t harm your character in her eyes. 

"…so far, you’re not losing"

if you’re the plaintiff with a solid case, do NOT interrupt or interject when she’s talking to the defendant. She’ll tell you to shut up and follow up with a variation of that statement. I’m sure there’s dozens of cases where plaintiffs lost because they couldn’t follow these simple directions.
Sometimes the guilty party is the witness. It doesn’t always get cases thrown out or force a decision. But the bailiff will escort you out if you talk out of turn enough times

That's all the sayings I can think of at the moment, but a few extra comments before going onto the next part.

Be clear and concise with your case. You’re meant to answer the questions being asked of you. If she wants extra details, she’ll ask. The way I’d put it- don’t talk like a politician where you dance around the question.
She hates filler words such as “like” and “basically”. People tend to use them when they’re nervous or they’re trying to gloss over things. Sort of like the “yada yada” thing from Seinfeld

Next, a few subheadings for the typical cases she oversees.

Rent, loans and contracts

If a contract is entered as evidence, make sure it’s signed by both parties or it’s invalid.
Contracts are make or break. If it’s an important detail, it should be in there. If it’s not and it’s the thing you’re suing over, you have no case. If there’s something in the contract you’re being sued for because you didn't hold up your end, you have to honor it.
The most common defense you’ll EVER hear from someone who owns money for a loan- “it was a gift”— 9 times out of 10, they're suing you because it isn’t a gift and they want their money back.
It should be common sense but you’d be surprised… if a friend or family member repeatedly asks you to lend money and they have yet to pay you back, stop lending the money. Also- you’re better off not loaning money to loved ones because it tends to ruin relationships
The only reason you’ll be denied the return of your security deposit is if the other side provides ample evidence you left the property in deplorable condition. Otherwise it’s not a hard ask typically.

I don’t always agree with this comes up, but in some cases where tenants are dealing with difficult landlords or neighbors with difficult neighbors, she’ll say “move!” 

It’s frustrating to me because, first off, dropping everything and moving isn’t something you can do at the drop of a hat. And second, while I can acknowledge that some people will never change no matter how hard you wish it, it annoys me that the only solution to deal with people like that is to walk away. This applies to a lot of things- not just this show- but ugh... I hate that nice people are forced to pick up the slack or raise above and the jerks are never forced to learn to be better.

Child Support

Judge Judy’s original stomping grounds was family court so she has a lot of expertise and strong opinions in this area
One thing I found interesting when I came across it the first time but it makes sense… just because you’re the mom, doesn’t mean she’ll automatically take your side. She’ll look at both sides and make a fair judgement.
Certain aspects of these situations can only be resolved in family court. Or in any case where someone says “I feel…” she’ll hit back with “I don’t care what you feel… go on Dr. Phil.” She doesn’t care what you think, feel or believe because her opinion is the only one that matters
But even if she can’t rule on a judgement meant for family court, she’s not shy about giving an opinion if she believes you’re not taking proper responsibility.

This is a controversial opinion but one I happen to agree with: if you’re in financial trouble and you have several children in your care (particularly if they’re young and all within a few years of each other), she’ll point blank say for you to stop making more children than you’re equipped to take care of.

Receiving benefits under illicit circumstances

This isn’t always a popular thing but in recent years (or pretty much the entire time I watched the series), she’ll sometimes go on a rant when it comes to collecting unemployment or disability when you do or say things to suggest you are an able-bodied individual. And she’ll say, “I’m paying for it, Sgt. Byrd is paying for it.” It’s controversial because not all disabilities are visible and it’s hard to convey all that in a short amount of time. But also people don’t like when she goes on political rants. I hate political rants too but when she does them, they’re things I agree with and make sense to me. Although when it comes to endorsing political candidates, I haven't agreed with her choices... but I disgress.

A lot of the time, people on this show will get disability or social security or student loans and the money netted from these things are not used for their intended purpose. Like putting school money towards non-school related things that are often frivolous or self-serving. This also comes up in the loaning friends money thing and we learn the money leant out was used for something other than what it was supposed to go towards. Either way, she does not like that
This typically comes up when you owe someone money for rent or a loan but if you’re over a certain age (22+) and you’re too busy going to school that you don’t have time for a job to pay them back, she doesn’t like that either. It’s not always cut and dry but if you come off as if you’re making an excuse to not pay someone back, it’s not a good thing

Animals

She’s a dog person so whenever one is brought into court for a case and it’s super cute, she’ll comment about it. And she’ll concede that people treat pets like their children... 
There was one case involving custody where one of the two people were holding the dog on one side of the room, Judge Judy asked them to let the dog choose. The other person not holding the dog warned them not to do it. After the dog was put on the floor and immediately ran over to the person on the other side of the room- you knew they lost the case and they knew exactly what was going to happen.
There’s a few cases where puppies are involved. Both people put their dogs together and the one either gets a stud fee or pick of litter. Something happens and the contact is not honored, which is why they’re in the court room to begin with. And if she gets wind of the puppies from mistreated- not given their shots, being sold too early or a sick one being given in the exchange and it died… yeah, she’ll let you have it.

Anything to do with pit bulls... forget about it. Her position will always be that you shouldn’t own one or expect any sympathy if you’re being sued because your dog attacked something or someone. If it was a dog on dog attack, she'll sometimes ask "what if it wasn't another dog, but a child?" to better demonstrate the seriousness of the situation. 

It makes me wonder if she’d ever had this conversation with Tia Torres, who’s the pit bull advocate from the animal planet show “pitbulls and parolees”…

Some cases have involved the exchange of animals and the original owner wanting them back because they don’t think the new owner is taking proper care of them. It’s not to the point where the SPCA gets involved, but she’ll say the animal’s new living situation isn’t your business anymore.
Some lawsuits revolve around the return of a dog after it’d been in the other person’s care for a long period of time. She’ll almost never rule in your favor. If it was that important to you, you would've filed the lawsuit much sooner. And the animal is clearly doing well in its current environment and it wouldn’t be fair to remove it from that.

Car accidents

Do NOT let your car insurance lapse… also, don’t drive without insurance period. She tolerates neither. A lot of defendants who don’t have insurance at the time of an accident often say “I didn’t realize my insurance had lapsed”… yeah, totally don’t believe that


Personal highlights

Two cases that caught my attention at the time and I still remember well. 

One I think was about someone owing money back for a loan or rent and the defendant was clearly an addict and not in the best shape. Judge Judy emphasized with him and wished him well for hopefully getting help. I saw this case a few months after seeing Less than Zero or at least recent enough where the movie was very fresh in my mind.
(Follow up- this was featured on a WatchMojo list of top 20 quickest cases on the show- the comments said he took his own life a short time after the show aired… Reddit confirmed this, sadly. Sometimes you try your best to help and it’s just not enough… and according to the date of a blog post I wrote about it, the episode aired January 2012, and I saw Less than Zero the previous February)

There was also an interesting case where there was a teenage boy and girlfriend and he was being sued by her father for damage to a tv stand or entertainment center. This case ran the full half hour (opposed to being 2-3 smaller cases). I think both of them were deemed responsible for repaying the damages in the end. I just remember his name was Anthony and Judge Judy kept calling him by his first name. As the case went, she went from being dismissive of him to being mildly fascinated. He was so charismatic he won her over and going into the final commercial break, she said something like “I was maybe a little hard on Anthony”. So I always kinda wonder what became of him- if this experience inspired him to go to college and make something of him. Even more funny if he wound up becoming a lawyer or some other legal profession.

Between this show, other TV series that involve court rooms and of course Legally Blonde, I've picked up a number of legal terminology over the years. And yeah, anytime I find an occasion to use it correctly feels pretty cool 

The best of Misty and Jessie- a Rachael Lillis tribute

 A little while back, I found out through Veronica Taylor that Rachael was suffering from an aggressive form of cancer. So bad that she was in hospice care and a GoFundMe had been set up to help pay for her medical bills.
Sadly, the news came out today that she lost her fight over the weekend. Age 46... cancer sucks, but even more when it cuts someone's life short like that. 

I've been a Pokémon fan since I was a teenager, more than 25 years... dang, I'm old. Rachael may not have played my favorite characters in the series (Misty, I still have a lot of mixed feelings about), but she's still a part of that time in my life. So I want to put together some kind of a tribute post... which will be me reliving my favorite moments of the characters she played. 
Whether they were sentimental character building moments or just hilarious and I'll still laugh about them for years to come. 

***

I've drawn Jigglypuff before but maybe not the other two...

my models <3

First, a quick shout-out to Jigglypuff. A Pokémon she did a speaking and singing voice for. 
This character was first introduced when the trio went through a city that doesn't sleep and all of the citizens are very irritable and rude as a result. They meet Jigglypuff in the forest and give it a remedy to help heal its throat.

Then they discover its one major gimmick- when Jigglypuff sings, it puts everyone within earshot to sleep. But it gets very upset when people fall asleep during a performance and scribbles on their faces with marker to get its revenge.
The funniest part is when Misty suggests having it sing to Psyduck because "it's too dumb to know if it's asleep or not"... then in the end, they discover it fell asleep with its eyes open. 
And if I remember right, Team Rocket uses it to put the city to sleep so they can commit robberies without opposition. A plan that fails because their measures to block out Jigglypuff's voice so they stay awake-- they don't work. What this scheme does accomplish is that the people in the city finally get a good night's sleep and their bad moods are completely cured.

Jigglypuff showed up a few times throughout the original series, but typically as a running gag. It randomly shows up to perform, everyone falls asleep and gets inked up. It's also responsible for the fact Ash and Misty wound up in the Orange Islands. Team Rocket hi-jacks their blimp, JIgglypuff randomly appears and sings everyone to sleep and the blimp drifts off its planned trajectory. 
Nothing wrong with the Orange Islands arc. I had a lot of fun with it. Kick-ass theme song. It was the region where Ash got Charizard to obey him and he actually won a championship there. But using Jigglypuff in that way still felt like a bit of a copout. 
I'm not sure if its character arc ever got resolved. Its quest, supposedly, was to find someone who'll listen to its song all the way through. But it's been so long I can't remember when its last appearance was. Definitely somewhere in Johto because there was that one story arc where Snubbull took away its microphone... 

***

One thing about this series that was kinda funny and cool when I first learned about it and still is…
The fact Rachael and Eric Stuart played good guys and bad guys and both performances are unique- Eric as Brock and James and Rachael as Misty and Jessie- one member of team rocket and one member of the heroic trio, who interacted with each other a lot… that’s really cool.
With the way dubbing works, I assume the actors record all the lines for one character first and then go back and do the other one.

Quick side note- Eric Stuart didn’t do James until maybe episode 10 of the series.
And actually I think Rachael was Pikachu in the dub of episode one because they didn’t have access to Ikue Otoni’s recordings yet.
...did a little digging... she did Pikachu a number of times in season one. She also did Chansey, Horsea and Misty's sister Violet- to name a few. Cool... 

The fact Rachael was an equally convincing voice for a 10-11 year old and an older teenager- that’s range.
Now I kinda wish I knew off hand if her normal speaking voice was closer to Jessie or completely different from both.
Veronica Taylor is irreplaceable as Ash. But his mom’s voice is essentially her normal voice with some added inflections for emphasis.

So for Jessie- I believe canonically she’s 17 or 18. Both Misty and Jessie are scrappy characters but for completely different reasons.

***

Just going off the first season, Jessie grew up poor so villainy is a means to net herself the kinds of things she never had. Fame and fortune, sure, but also nicer clothes and jewelry.
Of the Team Rocket trio, she’s probably the smartest. The mastermind of most of the schemes. It’s tempting to say more of them would've work if she had better sidekicks but the three of them together accrue a lot of self-sabotage. Obviously she and James both love fashion (he could recognize her fashion flair even underneath layers of veils) but the fact she’s usually the one in the man’s outfits and James is in the woman’s says a lot about their dynamic. It’s pretty hilarious. Plus the one time they shared a costume to pose as this tall guy but she was sitting on his shoulders until he crumbled under her weight.

Even though she’s technically a bad guy, Jessie cares about her Pokémon as much as any trainer. Except for maybe Wobbuffet who had this running gag of popping out of its pokéball unprovoked- although she’d occasionally remember to actually use its moves in battle.
Both she and James got their Pokémon Ekans and Koffing to evolve for them because they were bemoaning the fact they lose all the time and their Pokémon wanted to help them.
This might’ve after Rachael’s time as the character but probably the most touching moment between Jessie and a Pokémon was releasing her Dustox so it could get its happily ever after with another Dustox.

Most of Rachael’s funniest moments as this character was anytime Jessie’s face or hair got ruined by something. Sure, this is a very vain character trait but her voice going way over the top to show her sadness or rage over this— it’s great.

Two instances that come to mind:
"Tower of Terror" where Meowth accidentally scratches her face to attack a Ghastly and she gets this massive mallet out of nowhere to get back at him for it.
And this orange islands episode where Tracey gets a Scyther but at one point Jessie gets her hair hacked off by a Scyther and she’s on a revenge mission as a result.

Another great moment that says a lot about her character is the "Ghost of Maiden’s Peak" where Eric Stuart (Brock and James) gets kidnapped by a ghost. After she winds up doing most of the Team Rocket motto by herself (absolutely brilliant!), she attacks the ghost with a bazooka (yeah, lots of random weaponry coming out of nowhere- season one comedy gold) and goes on this huge feminist rant. The legend of the ghost is essentially how this maiden died on the peak while waiting for her sailor to return from a war. Jessie is not moved by this in the slightest. 

"Women like her disgust me. Always waiting around for her man as if she were his faithful pet. She can't live without him. She cries. But I say 'see you later.' There are plenty of fish in the sea."  

...if I remember this verbatim, I'd be impressed. A LOT of that series stuck with me during those years so I remember a lot of it offhand like that. 

It’s kinda cool that Jessie starts participating in artistic Pokémon events when they’re introduced in the series. A lot of cheating is involved at the beginning but over time she starts to participate legitimately and she actually has a lot of talent for it. Ego aside, and often the first round of these events it’s at center stage surrounded by her Pokémon’s moves, it’s hard not to be impressed.

***

The most notable highlight for both characters is the princess festival episode. Women are in charge (James’s comment of “how is that different from any other day?” Classic!), only men have to pay for food and services and it all culminates in a Pokémon battle tournament. And the winner gets a princess doll set.
Apparently this is an actual holiday in Japan, as is Kid’s Day. which gets a tiny mention in a later episode. But March 3rd is Doll’s Day (hinamatsuri), also called Girl’s Day- the dolls are called hinaningyo and they’re meant to protect girls from illnesses and misfortunes.

Of course in the episode's final act, Rachael has a battle against herself. Jessie almost wins thanks to her recent acquisition of a Lickitung. Ash and Brock lent Misty Pokémon to give her all-water type team more variety but she winds up winning thanks to her own Psyduck.
Normally this is a Pokémon that gives her a lot of trouble. It always shows up at random and it’s useless in battle until it gets a really bad headache. It’s always up to chance whether this happens or not but it’s always conveniently when she needs the help the most.
And Misty really did deserve to win the contest in this case. It was possibly the first time in her life she ever got to own anything that wasn't a hand-me-down from her three older sisters.

Just to finish off with Jessie before moving-- the final scene of the episode was a really sweet gesture from James and Meowth. They got dressed up as princess dolls to make up for the fact she didn't win them in the contest. The three of them will have their fights and arguments, but it's moments like these that prove how much they care about each other. 

Probably the most likable bad guys I'd seen on any series...

***

Misty may be the “tomboyish mermaid" in the games and the youngest of the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City... but in the rare occasion she gets dressed up, she always looks great. I especially like her with her hair down, although it's a very rare occurrence. 
I'm a bit of a tomboy myself. I mean, my go-to outfit on a normal day is a T-shirt, hoodie, pants and sneakers. But the way Misty catches attention when she puts on a kimono or the one time she played a mermaid in a Cerulean gym water show, I experienced something similar when I went to prom. The two of us have at least that much in common. 

I don't want to spend too much time focusing on the negatives, so I'll say this much:
The only reason I've ever had to dislike Misty comes down to her friendship with Ash. 

As silly as it may sound, I just wish she was nicer to him.
They obviously got off on the wrong foot because he accidentally wrecked her bike after “borrowing” it. They eventually get to a point where she’s more than just that girl who’s following him and she stuck around this long for reasons other than collecting a debt. So why is it so difficult to drop that antagonistic facade? Does she think if she gets complacent and is too nice, he’ll forget to pay her back?
Also, yeah, a true friend will be honest and tell you you’re getting ahead of yourself or you’re about to make a mistake— Ash isn’t perfect but Misty didn’t have to be so harsh when she drew attention to these things.
Their rapport improved over time, of course, but in those early days, I just kept thinking “if I had a friend who pointed out my shortcomings all the time, I would stop being friends with them.”

Now for some actual highlights. Between recollecting the series now and when I rewatched it five years ago, I found some great moments. Some that escaped my notice the first couple of times and of course some others I never forgot...

The two biggest moments that stood out in my memory came from instances where she saved his life. 
The first was when she found an herbal remedy to help him and Tracey when they were paralyzed by stun spore. And as a bonus, she left some of it for James and Meowth who were doing their own foraging to help Jessie. They were so moved by the gesture that they tried talking Jessie out of battling them once everyone got well.
Then on a much grander scale, the second movie where she saved him from drowning. She’s a water specialist so she’s a strong swimmer but the fact she braved the extra rough surface… dang, that plus her comment how “Ash is never really alone because he’s got me”… that hits different now and in the best way.

Moments I’ve glossed over from early on- the rare compliment only the audience gets to hear.
The end of episode 3 where she says “I’ve never met anyone like him…” I never noticed but this is the earliest sign she does like him and potentially more than a friend.
Then in Pewter City, she offers her help with a healthy dose of sarcasm, but she’s clearly concerned when he doesn’t take her advice. Then when he walks away from the rematch because he didn’t want to win it over the sprinklers going off by accident, she admires him for doing so.

There’s a conversation they have on the St Anne that’s maybe the first time it feels like a conversation between friends. She goes over to talk to him cuz he seems distracted and he explains his second thoughts about trading away Butterfree. It may not seem like much but it speaks volumes.

When Tentacool were causing trouble at an island resort, she was the only one who didn’t write them off. She figured there was a bigger picture they were missing. And on top of that she made an emotional plea to their leader on behalf of the people to stop its rampage. Something that could’ve gone sideways for her if it hadn’t listened.

Her relationship with her sisters, which hasn’t always been easy, did lead to one major positive. Two occasions where the trio met a group of siblings and the youngest is having a hard time, she’s the one who helps bridge that gap. Coincidentally, both Mikey and Sakura both came from families of Eevee trainers and have a big legacy to uphold as a result. We never find out whether Mikey’s evolves or not, but in Sakura’s reappearance, hers does and she’s become a much stronger person thanks to Misty’s friendship.

Then as a hopeless romantic, she likes to play matchmaker when Pokémon experience obstacles in the battlefield of love. Ash’s Butterfree for one but also the two Nidoran Tony and Maria (yep, they went there!) with their own Romeo and Juliet story.
On the other hand, she develops a habit in Johto of pulling Brock away by his ear when he’s flirting with the ladies. A habit that unfortunately became a running gag for the rest of his run in the series, but it’s just not the same when someone else is doing it (Max in Hoen and Croagunk in Sinnnoh).

Somewhere in the middle of the first season, they had a  story arc featuring the protagonist from the newly released Pokémon Snap. One of these was where we met the other Team Rocket duo of Cassidy and Butch who stage a breeding center scheme to steal hundreds of rare Pokémon. And they’re so sneaky and devious that when they get found out, they feign innocence and have officer Jenny arrest. Misty and Pikachu are the only ones who get away and they wind up saving everyone by setting the record straight.

Blaine sets up a bunch of riddles before Ash can challenge his gym on Cinnabar Island. Misty’s the only one who figures out all of them.

Another notable role she carried through a major chunk of the series- taking care of Togepi. Not counting Ho-Oh from episode one (because it isn’t named yet), Togepi was the first Pokémon from generation two that was introduced. I’m not sure how many Pokémon fans liked it- I know I wasn’t a fan. It didn’t do much other than cry and Pikachu often got into hairy situations in the shorts because it had to look after it. We see a small hint of its power in the orange islands where it uses metronome.
In the end, it does have a big role to play in a subplot in the Hoen region. Misty is brought back for a three episode stint. And she has her own “bye bye Butterfree” moment when they go their separate ways at the end. Of the heroic trio, she was obviously the best choice to take care of it and the payoff at the end made it all worth it.

In the Pokémon League at the end of season one, there’s a lot of great character moments. Ash obviously overcomes a lot to get to the top 16. Some was pure luck but some skill does come into play later on. Around that point, Misty and Brock are in the audience instead of cheering on the sidelines because he wanted to win one on his own. It’s an even bigger test because it’s on the heels of Gary getting knocked out of the tournament earlier that day.
He brings out Muk as a last resort against Jeanette’s Bellsprout. A choice that surprises Misty as much as she admires the intuitiveness of it.

I know I give her a lot of grief over her attitude but in the story arc with Richie and the 5th round of the tournament, some things hit differently in retrospect… it wasn’t until five years ago when I watched through the series again that I recognized these were outbursts that came from a place of caring or simply tough love.
Team Rocket stages a kidnapping scheme that makes Ash late for the battle, which involves staging a phony phone call. Their mistake was insulting Misty when she was the one who answered. On the surface, she’s taking her frustration out on Richie over the insult she thought had come from him. However, she wouldn’t just storm onto the arena over something petty like that. It’s kinda hilarious they don’t even call security. The commentator is too busy admiring her gusto. No, her anger is worry and concern about why Ash hasn’t shown up yet.

Then there’s the aftermath of the whole affair. Ash losing because Charizard forfeited the final matchup. I was so devastated— it’s been years since I thought about how I felt in that moment and it was a terrible feeling. He did eventually get Charizard to obey him- thank god!- but that one moment is why I scoff whenever I see Charizard on some “best of all time” Pokémon list.” Just because I understand why this moment was necessary for Ash's growth as a character, doesn’t mean I have to like it.

As bad as I felt about all this, Ash obviously felt a lot worse. The fact he was still miserable about this loss the following day- I was kinda shocked, actually. He’d taken losses hard before but this time was different. 
Misty takes it upon herself to snap him out of it. I really don’t like how she did it but it did work.
I’m not sure if I would’ve come around on this if this situation hadn’t come up again in Kalos. Serena is Misty’s polar opposite in a lot of ways and that’s why I like her a lot more. But she loses her temper with him after a string of difficult losses leaves him inconsolable and he refuses to accept her help. I hate to say it but it seems like tough love is the only thing that works with him.
And technically Misty did try everything else to snap him out of it, exerting a great deal of patience in the process and nothing else worked.

Going forward, their dynamic was more playful. The orange islands posed a few interesting challenges. The orange crew (gym leaders) were two guys and two girls. And with both of the guys, some sort of flirtation was going on. Danny was older and of course good looking so Misty was smitten but I’m sure some of her actions were to make Ash jealous. While she succeeded, it was more of “hey you’re supposed to be on my side” type of jealousy.
Then with Rudy, he was the one who was smitten with Misty but it became clear to him during the match who she cared about more. In the middle of a battle when he was losing, she called out to him to get his act together. And he did exactly that. I don’t remember that quite as well so it might be worth a revisit.

Another funny orange islands storyline was the one time she had a Golduck. She had a battle with fellow water specialist Marina and beat her with what she thought was her evolved Psyduck. It turns out hers had been in its ball the entire time (still a Psyduck) and the one she saw evolve was a wild one that liked to show off to girls.
In her disappointment, she quips “it’s a Pokémon version of Brock”

I’m sure there are many other great Misty moments I forgot but I have to stop somewhere. I’m starting to think I will have to revisit a bunch of these episodes, to reminisce and remember the great talent that brought her to life.
I also suspect that Veronica and Rena Taylor will be doing their own tribute on their Trainer’s Guide podcast and if I’m right, it’ll be something to look forward to for sure.

Theatrical Review: Deadpool and Wolverine

Date: Sunday, August 4 2024
Time: 11:10am 

Party: 2 (my mom and I)
Duration: 127 minutes (plus 26 minutes of trailers)

Review:

Straight up, this might not be the best written movie ever but it was really fun and entertaining. And for me, that’s what a Deadpool movie should be. Not like the previous one where people died or he almost died a bunch of times…
But for a movie experience, this is definitely a good one to see in theaters. Especially with a good audience. The laughs that came out of the back of the room were infectious.
Another funny tidbit- we saw the same employee in three different capacities while we were there. He sold us our tickets, directed us to the right theater (at the little booth where they used to take our ticket stubs- I wonder why they don’t do that anymore), and he was waiting by the janitor’s cart as the end credits rolled. He had a fun personality that also kinda made me wonder “this dude doesn’t get out much, huh?” Reminded me a bit of our Hawaiian tour guide Leroy that we had on two separate tours (two sides of the same island over 2 days). Maybe “Leroy” will be our namesake for anyone we see more than once working at the same establishment, lol

Out of respect, this will be a spoiler free review. All I will say about the cameos is that there were half a dozen I recognized as a causal fan and probably dozens more I didn’t. The only conceivable one that was missing was Green Lantern but that’s DC and I don’t think the universe could handle that cinematic crossover even if they got the rights to it.
Two of them I will mention were members of the Reynolds family.
When I saw Inez Reynolds in the credits, the Swiftie in me couldn’t help getting excited, just because she was a namesake from Taylor’s Folklore love triangle alongside James and Betty. There’s also a point where Deadpool whispers to Wolverine “til your dying day” that may or may not be a reference to a lyric from “my tears ricochet”. His wife Blake Lively also has a movie coming out where a different version of that song is played in the trailer.

The movie begins with Wade Wilson having hung up his costume and having a normal job. Because apparently something happened between him and Vanessa and he’s searching for new meaning in his life.
One of his ill advised attempts to find one is interviewing to be an Avenger… the only problem is he didn’t get the memo about what that means. It’s not a club you can just join because YOU need it, you join because the world needs you.

The plot of the movie, essentially, is him being recruited by Mr. Paradox to work for his organization. Apparently due to his time traveling escapades in the previous movie, he might be of use to them. However his reality is decaying because it lost its anchor being… Wolverine (referring to the movie Logan where he dies at the end). And he needs to get another Wolverine from somewhere in the multiverse to set everything right.
One montage later, he not only brings back the worst incarnation of Wolverine but Paradox says his reality is doomed anyway and he can’t fix anything. Then when the two of them refuse to go along with the organization, they get sent to the garbage heap where they’re destined to die.

Yeah- it’s pretty damn confusing and hard to follow. So the big attraction is the characters and the jokes. Half of which are various vulgarities (more on this later) and half are self-aware zingers.
I’ve commented the last few years how too many movies are doing this so-called Meta humor. Deadpool gets away with this because that’s their thing. Where I have a problem is with movies like Frozen 2 where these self aware references spat in the face of what made the first movie so good. The movie had a lot of problems but Elsa being embarrassed of a “let it go” reference- the best part of that movie- that ruined the whole movie for me. The whole 3rd act was a big letdown.


Back to Deadpool-
This movie is a mix of multiverse madness (I never did see that Doctor Strange movie…) and Mad Max. With maybe a dash of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Cuz Deadpool and Wolverine do not get along and spend a chunk of the movie trying to kill each other- a tricky feat considering their super powers both involve regeneration so neither can die. And their main vehicle is a Honda Odyssey- which is hilarious cuz Wade was working for a CarMax knockoff and pretty much called the Honda a crap car. Considering the brutal landscape, it handles it pretty well.

We also get the plot twist of Paradox being a member of the organization that’s gone rouge. I know some other movie did this but I couldn’t remember what. Later i remembered it was Die Hard. You know someone’s bad when even their organization thinks they’re too extreme.
Matthew McFayden plays the character and I spent so much time trying to figure out where I’d seen him cuz he looked so familiar… none of the roles I saw him in left a big impression. But he also looks a lot like a bunch of other people- like a combo of the butler from trading places and Richard armitage from the hobbit movies.
We find out much later that this movie has a far greater villain than him and we meet them in the Mad Max inspired void. And let's just say she has an interesting connection to the X-Men. 

The few headlines I’d read about this movie prior to seeing it alluded to its F-bomb count (116) and how it’s definitely not a family movie. In addition to that, there were countless tirades laden with explicit language. It sorta reminded me of Chevy Chase in Christmas vacation, but this was multiple times and you get to a point you go cross eyed trying to keep up until you can’t. Is it necessary? No, not really. There’s a joke where Deadpool says to Wolverine “this movie is already long enough”… if they cut out all the obscene tirades you could almost knock this movie down to 2 hours flat.

In an odd way this was a similar movie to the latest Kung Fu panda from a few months ago. We spend very little time with the rest of the franchise’s main cast and the story arc involves new people in a vastly different location.
We only see the Deadpool cast at the beginning and end and I kinda missed having them. But I guess if they wanted to make Deadpool feel more like a part of the marvel universe, sacrifices had to be made. Vanessa and Wade breaking just felt so random, though. The whole time traveling thing he did was for her after all. What was the point of all that if they weren’t going to stay together?

In one fell swoop, pretty much every part of the Marvel universe gets a spotlight. One or two jokes alludes to Fox having the rights to X-men and the fight to get them back. Also one reference I caught alluding to a planned reboot for a certain character that’s been in limbo for so long it might never happen.

And as can be expected, the soundtrack is great. Something for everyone. We get a call back to “angel of the morning” (as heard in the opening credits of the first movie) and probably the most hilarious opening credits sequence and the most nostalgic ending credits sequence ever.
Speaking of, it is worth sticking around to the end. That marvel tradition is still very much in play.

A few more random comments-

The latest Thor movie had screaming goats. Deadpool and Wolverine have the world’s “so ugly it’s cute” dog, Mary Puppins. Aka the biggest scene stealer of the movie.

While at Paradox’s TVA location, Deadpool sees this big machine and utters “What in the name of macguffin is that?”

Probably too fast for most people to catch because a lot of this movie’s dialogue is “blink and you’ll miss it” fast. But I caught this and went “wait, I’ve heard this mentioned on TCM.” So of course I had to look it up.

It’s classically defined as a noun (person, object, event) that triggers the plot that the main characters care about but the audience typically doesn’t. “North by northwest” was the tcm movie that mentioned this in the intro/outro section and the item in question is the contents of the microfilm. The audience doesn’t care what’s on the film (and we never find out anyway) but Cary Grant (mistaken as a federal agent) is being pursued by a bad group that wants to smuggle this microfilm of supposed political secrets out of the country.
The article I read also mentions how the definition for macguffin got muddled thanks to George Lucas, who thinks it’s something the audience should care about. Like the Death Star plans or the one ring from lord of the rings.
Considering all this I’m not sure if Deadpool’s comment is accurate. The timeline splitter machine is critical in the climax of the film. So I think his comment was merely foreshadowing and he only said it to make himself sound intelligent. I gotta say that it was a pretty cool reference, incorrect usage or not.


Grade:
B, if I were grading this as a movie, but for entertainment value, a solid A.

Trailers:

Just before the actual trailers started, we got two extras.

Mufasa

Not sure what to expect from an origin story about the most famous king of pride rock. It’s just a little strange how they’re saying he has no royal blood at all yet he has this great destiny. Like whatever he accomplished as king made all that immaterial so everyone forgot his humble beginnings.


A complete unknown

I’m not a Bob Dylan fan by any means but the look of this movie is kinda intriguing. With Timothy chalmet in the lead role, it has potential. But I think I was drawn in cuz it showed a glimpse of the Chelsea hotel. Ever since Taylor mentioned it in her new tortured poets album, I feel like I’m seeing it everywhere now

Now for the actual trailers:

Speak no evil

They started showing the trailer on tv the same afternoon we saw it in theaters. It’s about two families bonding in an Italian villa, one local and one on vacation. The locals invite the vacationers to stay with them and things start to get… weird. Something is clearly off with this family (James McAvoy plays the patriarch) and of course by the time they figure this out, their tires are slashed and getting away seems impossible.
Yeah, skipping this one.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

I saw the first few seconds and thought it was a trailer for the next season of Wednesday… despite the fact I’d never seen any of the show cuz we don’t stream. But I saw Jenna Ortega alongside other girls in school uniforms and that was my first thought. I completely forgot she was in this movie- and apparently Lydia is her mom (first time I think I’d seen Winona Ryder since black swan, so a while) and her mom is the local crazy lady.
And Beetlejuice comes back, shenanigans and all. It’ll be out a little early for Halloween but with all the right pieces in place, it looks like it’ll be a good sequel. Will it outdo the original? We’ll see


Borderlands

This is coming out this week… I wonder with the Mad Max backdrop of this movie made them want to capitalize on it?
I’m not sure if it’s based on a graphic novel or it’s a parody of the mad max genre. I only know I have no interest in seeing it.
It is kinda cool Jamie Lee Curtis is in it, though. Now that she’s won that Oscar (which had been for a sci-fi movie), she’s fully embracing the genre and having fun with it. Not that working on all those Halloween movies weren’t fun for her but this one looks like she’s more likely to get through alive.


Gladiator 2

At the time, the effects of this movie were groundbreaking. That still seems to be the case but they’re using a lot more computers.
I have nothing more to add. I saw the original when we rented it from blockbuster forever ago and I don’t remember a thing except that it was long and Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix were in it


Wicked

This looks like it’s going to be AMAZING. They really leaned into the scale of it with all these effects. I’ve yet to see a single scene with a song in it but of course Defying Gravity backs the trailers.
Michelle Yeoh plays, I’m assuming, the headmistress of the university Glinda and Elphaba are attending. Another cool role I’m sure her Oscar win got for her- I swear she’s been all over the place since then and I’m all for it.
And just on the surface, it looks like they make Elphaba the wicked witch because she learns the wizard has no magic and they don’t want her revealing that secret to the world.
It’s a good twist on the story but I’m struggling to connect that back to the original movie… is Wicked going to destroy everything I thought about the 1939 film so I’ll never be able to watch it with the same perspective I had as a kid?
Oz, the great and powerful from over a decade ago did their own ridiculous origin story about the wicked witch but I thought so little of that movie (as did a lot of other people) that it didn’t matter. Wicked at least looks like it could be canon. The one deciding factor will probably be the slippers. Getting them back was the witch’s motivation to kill Dorothy (along with dropping a house on her sister) so I’m curious to see how they fit into this story. Also, they’re silver like in the original book. Most movie fans know the story how they made the shoes Ruby slippers to take advantage of the technicolor cinematography of the Oz scenes.


Captain America: Brave New World

I’d been hearing rumors for ages that Sam (aka Falcon) will be taking over as captain America from Steve Rodgers. Now it’s finally arrived. All I’ve got from the trailer is that he’s a bodyguard for Harrison Ford, who plays a politician and at some point his inner circle gets compromised.
My mom loves Harrison ford so we might just see this movie next year for him.

With Marvel in general, my enthusiasm cooled off significantly after Endgame. If I go to theaters at all anymore, it’s for characters alone, not for the MCU as a whole. Maybe one day I’ll do a post to encompass “life after endgame”.
With RDJr coming back as doctor doom, of course I’ll be seeing a couple movies just for him. Now that he has an Oscar, he can do whatever he wants- I just wish he’d done Sherlock 3 instead because that’s been on hold for 13 years and his marvel contract was a large part of thot.


Alien: Romulus

I’m guessing the name is a play on Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
Anyway a warning come up saying this trailer is rated R for gory violence… they weren’t kidding. I had no interest in this anyway but now I’m definitely not. As unsettling as this trailer was, the actual movie is bound to be even worse.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)

Before I reached high school age, my perception of high school was essentially shaped by the John Hughes experience that was from the 80s. Or more specifically Ferris Bueller and the Breakfast Club. To this day, both remain among my favorite movies of all time with The Breakfast Club reigning at the top.

I was told for years that high school would be the best years of my life and the John Hughes movies helped bolster those expectations.
I’m still frustrated that those expectations were not met. Not that I wish I’d had the typical teenage rebellion streak- but I expected to at least have my first boyfriend and have a special friend clique. Neither of which materialized because I was too shy to put myself out there. I at least got that friend experience in my last 3 semesters of college, thanks to the fact I wasn’t the one who had to make the first move. But I still wish my high school years had more positive memories and fewer regrets and less stress about my grades.

Fast forward to the early 2000s- the high school movies that came out when I was actually high school age were Disney movies. And a few notable ones starred Lindsay Lohan.
We only have 27 days difference in age so I looked up to her a lot. Enough to get highlights to emulate her Freaky Friday look but not enough to bring life to that old saying… you know the one where you’re asked “if they jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?” Even with all of her missteps that made a fortune for the tabloid industry (damn vultures…), I never stopped being a fan. With recent news of a Freaky Friday sequel coming next year (her and Jamie Lee Curtis both returning), hopefully those days of being a punchline are finally in the rear view mirror.

Every part of her high school movie trifecta is awesome but “Confessions” is my personal favorite.
Critics like Roger Ebert were exceedingly harsh with it. I think I saw a grade as low as a D in our local paper. I’d already made up my mind to see it and that wasn’t going to stop me.
I wish I could be objective enough so I could say what a more accurate rating would be, but I’m just not. I am however honest enough with myself to admit this movie isn’t realistic.
But come on, it’s a Disney movie. Disney is all about fantasy and wish fulfillment. So as far as I’m concerned, the lack of realism in this movie gets a pass.

For me, this movie stands out more than any other movie that came out while I was in high school for one big reason. If I was still keeping a regular journal during that time of my life, various elements of this movie could’ve been ripped out of its pages.

The biggest difference was that I was more like Ella than Lola. I always followed the rules and never did anything if I knew it would be met with disapproval from my parents. For better or worse, I’m still very much like that. Having a friend like Lola would have me at odds with that part of myself but I’d still love to have a friend like her. Someone who gives me courage to do things I didn’t think I was capable of… within reason.

Lola moves to Dellwood New Jersey from New York City, a decision she’s not happy with because it means leaving the home of Broadway and she wants to be an actress. 

The way she's dressed during the opening scene is a callback to "Breakfast at Tiffany's," something I didn't pick up on until I saw that movie for the first time a few years ago.

But once she accepts her new surroundings, she approaches it as a new opportunity to which she can bring her own script. (Paraphrasing a quote from her).
She hits it off with Ella through their mutual love of her favorite band. And when the school play is announced, she aims to use it as a platform to launch her budding acting career.
The premise is simple enough and ordinary at first glance. But as the plot unfolds, it becomes so much more than that.

Going back to when I said this movie had some diaristic context… the school play is a hip and modern adaptation of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Our school musical that year was My Fair Lady. While I didn’t get a role, I participated as part of the company. Junior year was probably my most stressful between my grades and SAT scores but that winter gave me some of the best memories of my life. And it was mostly from watching these mega talented actors rehearse from what felt like front row seating. Oklahoma the year before had its highlights- particularly the over-the-top performance of Ali Hakeem from the 3 night cast- but this year felt extra special.
The movie may not have shown more than 10 minutes of “Eliza Rocks” between Lola’s audition, rehearsals and opening night but having that connection was a huge selling point.

The movie came out February 2004- we had just wrapped up production of "My Fair Lady" a couple weeks beforehand. So yeah, no wonder I was so floored by a reference to it being center stage in this movie.

Also, Carol Kane as Ms. Baggoli is such a fun teacher. I love how she dives headfirst into this role and makes it as zany and over the top as she does.

But the biggest selling point was how Lola’s favorite band Sidarthur and its leading man Stu Wolf fit into the story. She has all kinds of cool memorabilia, manufactured and homemade, to express her fandom of them. But one huge plot point that’s dropped on her is the announcement that the band is breaking up. I watched that scene and had immediate flashbacks to when my favorite boy band Dream Street broke up two years earlier. So between that and the play, I was like “omg, this is my life” and I was fully invested.

So after the big breakup, Lola hears from the school’s Queen bee, Carla (the role that introduced a lot of us to Megan Fox) that there’s going to be a farewell concert and afterparty in New York.

So lucky! Dream Street was broken up by a lawsuit between their parents’ and management so I didn’t even get a chance of a farewell concert. Their final hurrah was a low budget movie where only Chris had a major role- now that movie was about blatant wish fulfillment but I still loved having it as one final memento from that time in my life.

Naturally, Lola has to make it back to New York by any means necessary and Ella is along for a ride despite some mild hesitation.
One of her “clever” schemes is to stage a hunger strike like Gandhi until her mom lets her go. By today’s standards, this scene would most likely be considered to be culturally insensitive and there’d be petitions calling for its removal. But at the time, I was excited that it was just a reference I understood. In my English class we had a unit about transcendentalism and civil disobedience, which culminated in watching the Ben Kingsley movie in class. I’m pretty sure we didn’t watch all of it but certainly enough for me to be familiar with it. Also I wasn’t the type of person who was really up to date on current events or the news in general so any time I see something historical that I have enough context to understand it- that’s a big deal.

The hunger strike doesn’t work and it’s also revealed to be a complete farce. So the backup plan is a teenage classic- staging a sleepover, telling the parents it’s at the other person’s house and going behind their backs to go to the concert. Ella has a panic attack over the idea of lying to her parents so Lola breaks down and tells her mom the truth. Ella’s parents (who are going into the city that weekend anyway) agree to Lola’s terms (meeting them at the train station and waiting at their hotel for their return) and everything is set.
Except for one thing… they go to get tickets and they’re sold out.

The whole New York City story arc is pretty much when reality is thrown out the window. Let’s just say there is no way my parents would trust me to walk around that place on my own at that age. We’d get as far as the concert and we’d go straight back to the hotel afterwards. The craziest and probably most dangerous about this whole adventure- this isn’t a boy band they were pursuing. These were certified rock stars that were likely twice their age if not more.
And as we quickly learn, Lola’s favorite tortured poet is an alcoholic. It’s a miracle the worst that happened to them was getting grounded.

The whole night begins as a comedy of errors. As previously stated, they didn’t get tickets so scalpers were the next option. Lola accidentally left the money on the train so they miss the concert and travel SEVERAL blocks to find the after party… in the pouring rain. At least we get a kick ass soundtrack to accompany them.

A lot of the soundtrack is really good but there’s some omissions. One was “Up up up” by Rose Falcon during the pouring rain scene. Also I feel like there should’ve been a full version of “Don’t move on” as heard in the end credits. We just get Lola’s audition version in a medley with two of the musical’s songs (“livin for the city” by Stevie wonder, and “changes” by David Bowie).
But “Up, Up, Up” and “1,2,3” (by Nikki Cleary) were staples on radio Disney during that time.

So they’re stopped at the door and can’t get into the after party. They do however run into Stu Wolf when he stumbles out drunk and they spend the night with him. With a lot of ups and downs but thankfully after the scene at the police station it’s all uphill.
They’d taken Stu to a diner in hopes of sobering him up and he causes a bit of public disturbance.. because he didn’t get his “deluxe hamburger platter with a side of onion rings”. Which he orders with a drunken Aussie accent. To this day whenever I order onion rings in a restaurant, I think of this scene.

The police station also throws in a wrench that nearly breaks up the Lola and Ella dream team… Lola’s dad comes down to help sort out the situation, the same dad she spent an elaborate fantasy sequence explaining how he died in a motorcycle accident.

Honest to god, I was so naive when I saw this at age 17 I completely fell for that fantasy sequence hook line and sinker. Didn’t even occur to me “this is so over the top it has to be a complete lie”.I don’t think I figured it out until New York actually. 

There’s a scene before the party and after the rain where there’s a man and his dog following them and Lola has a private word about working on his stealth cuz he’s scaring Ella. And I’m sure I had one of those “hey, wait a minute…” moments and I just went along with it. It certainly wasn’t a deal breaker like it was for Ella.

Lola defended her lie saying she did it to protect her mom from Ella’s judgmental parents who were skeptical of her having 3 kids (Lola and her younger twin sisters) and no husband. It’s kinda interesting she felt so strongly about this that she had to overcompensate. She and her mom butt heads throughout the movie but deep down she still cares about her a lot.
Ella’s reaction to Lola exaggerating was extremely skeptical. “Exaggerating a little is saying you’re a little taller” and what she did essentially crossed a line.

Lola’s dream was to discuss Stu’s poetry with him, which she unfortunately doesn’t get to do because he’s too drunk to hold a conversation with her.
I’ve only seen Adam Garcia in one other movie and his character in Coyote Ugly couldn’t be any more different from Stu. He’s not just sober and a nicer guy but he’s actually really good looking. The hair and makeup people did a really good job giving him that drunken rock star look.

Looked him up- born in 1973 so he's 13 years older than us.. Still enough of an age gap where Lola still probably should've had more adult supervision while hanging around him.

The third act of the movie is essentially the falling action after the climax. Despite the fact they saw each other at the party, Carla has the entire school convinced that Lola lied about being there. And the lie about her dad being dead also came back to bite her. The song that acts as the emotional compass for this part of the story is an acoustic version of “Perfect” by Simple Plan. I don’t think I’d ever heard the original but this song later became part of the soundtrack of my life that year. Literally- it was back from burning CDs was on trend.

Lola’s depression is so bad dealing with all this that she almost skips out on the play. Thankfully Ella comes by her house to give her a much needed reality check and it’s the kick in the pants she needs.
It’s just a shame the actual play is so short. We get bits and pieces of Eliza’s transformation from New York checkout girl to the glamorous life. I recognized a few references from doing My Fair Lady in school but with all this build up, I could’ve used another 10 minutes. The final song “That girl” picked up a lot of the slack. Funny enough, my clearest memory of it was hearing it on radio Disney while my mom was taking me to the site of my 2nd SAT test. True story. I heard it a bunch on that station but that instance sticks out in my memory the most.

Lola gets the ultimate of happy endings in the end and it still puts the biggest smile on my face. Stu Wolf shows up at the after party of the musical to return Lola’s signature coke bottle cap necklace, which she’d left at his party. Everyone finds out that she was right and Carla was wrong. And yeah, Stu cleans up pretty good when he’s sober so Lola’s dream conversation may not be as far away as we once thought.

...I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Lola and Ella's other friend Sam. His biggest contribution to the plot was helping her sneak out Eliza's dress from the drama room so she can wear it to the concert. But it's a rare thing in one of these teen movies where a boyfriend or romance isn't a major part of character development or a story arc. Other than the very end where she says something to the effect of "now that my career is launched, maybe I can have a boyfriend".

Eli Marienthal was also in the Disney movie, The Country Bears, where he played Haley Joel Osment's brother and wasn't quite as nice as Sam.

Alison Pill who played Ella probably had the most success of the younger actors. Her characters in "Scott Pilgrim" and "Midnight in Paris" couldn't be anymore different.

...I could keep going but it's probably best to end my novel review. This movie clearly isn't for everybody but for me, I still feel like it came out at the perfect time. Otherwise I don't think I would've responded to it as positively as I have. And still do.

Bandslam (2009)

I'm going to be doing a couple of these high school type movies in the coming weeks. They'll be more discussions than reviews, so they'll be discussed in length, spoilers and all.

***

I first heard about this movie from the DVD releases of the Twilight series. It was advertised as just another high school movie, which happened to have Vanessa Hudgens- who I knew from High School Musical at that time. I remember seeing it once years ago and feeling letdown because it didn’t live up to my expectations based on the trailers. Coming back to it however years later, those feelings haven’t changed. In fact they’ve only gotten more complicated.

It’s a basic premise. New kid moves from the Midwest to a new high school in northern New Jersey. He didn’t fit in where he was from and this was a chance for him to start fresh with a clean slate. His new school is one of many in the northeast looking forward to the titular event. Vanessa’s character describes it as being as big as high school football is in Texas. New kid Will gets involved with it through his new friend Charolette (Aly from Aly & AJ) who has a new band with aspirations to win.
Another ongoing storyline is Will and Sa5m (Vanessa’s character) having to do a project for class where they have to get to know each other and do a presentation on who the other person is.

The bizarre part of this movie that was hard for me to get past: it was hard to get a handle on who these characters were. All of them felt like they had a secret or something to hide. Not that this isn't a common thing in movies or fiction, but the way they did it... it's like they're saying "this person has a secret but we're not going to give you any hints about what it might be but just remember there's a secret.. And it'll be revealed at th worst time possible, etc, etc.

I’ve always been one of those people who puts themselves in a character’s shoes or relates enough to them where I’m able to react to the ongoing events through their eyes. I had trouble doing that here based on this blasé approach.

Will was easy enough to figure out but it didn’t make the nature of his secret any less shocking. He clearly wasn’t close with his dad and would talk about how he was never around because he was touring with other bands as a roadie or some other menial job.
“Dewey” got thrown around a few times and it wasn’t until much later when it was explained as a homonym of DWI. i.e. driving while intoxicated. His dad apparently drove drunk and killed one of his classmates at his old school, so while he went to jail, Will Jr. was bullied and saddled with his mistake. Thanks to a fellow student who was jealous of his friendship with Charlotte, this secret was leaked to his new school and it was difficult to overcome all that a second time.

Vanessa Hudgens had played a few different high school archetypes in her time. Gabriella in High School Musical was a whiz kid but also very shy- until the sequels and that part of her character was completely discarded. Then later in the FOX live version of Grease, she was a really good Rizzo.
Sa5m (the 5 is silent) comes off as an introvert and she remains that way for much of the movie. She’s quiet and keeps to herself but slowly opens up to Will as they get to know each other. It’s really sad when she gets comfortable with him, she invites him to see her favorite movie and he doesn’t show. All because an outing with Charlotte and the band happened to be the same day.

Thankfully it doesn’t take too long for them to make up and become friends again. She does her school project using a mirror to signify how Will interacts with other people. He'll show you the part of him he wants you to see but it's not the true version and the only person he can't do that with is himself... some really weird poetic shit.

He does a cute little video where he interacts with a cardboard standee of her and it charms everyone including her. I especially like the part where they share a can of soda and he puts in two twizzlers as their straws- it's a throwback to the first time he saw her. 

It’s just kinda strange how they include a scene of her singing ages ago in a talent show, she’s mad at her mom for showing him the video, and it’s never really mentioned again. Her singing the same song as the new lead vocalist of the band is a cool full circle moment but that backstory moment comes and goes so quickly that it feels like the writers didn’t feel like giving it more thought.
Also- what's with this movie and non-existent father figures? None of these three characters have their father shown on screen and they're only alluded to as some sort of emotional bagage. With one notable exception.

Charlotte was the most confusing of all. I mean, she’s more approachable and more fun to be around than Rhiannon in “Easy A”. But Sa5m spent a lot of the movie warning Will not to trust her and it takes way too long for that point to be made. We get the impression she’s starting a new band to get back at her old one. She relies on Will’s musical knowledge and advice about what the band needs to improve (including a live drummer, keyboards,a cellist and a horn section). She also spends her time outside school working with little kids in art class and working part-time at a diner. 

At first it sort of feels like they’re making this into a typical love triangle where Will can’t spend time with either of his new female friends without the other getting jealous. I’m glad they didn’t go that path but it was hard buying into his friendships with either girl without worrying that something was going to ruin it.
This isn’t to say her secrets were bad. They were just really poorly executed. Particularly when there’s a dramatic twist and she shuts him out without fully explaining why. Supposedly she was the typical head cheerleader type who didn’t interact with peers she thought were lower on the social ladder than she was. Then her dad got sick with cancer and she was using her senior year of high school to be a better person. This transformation wasn’t just hard for people like Sa5m to understand but also her ex boyfriend. Or at least that’s what’s hinted at.

The actor playing him finished second during the previous season of the masked singer- to Vanessa- and they had no idea the other was on the show. So it was kind of a cool moment when they figured this out. They didn’t interact at all in the movie. But I’m glad his band didn’t win the competition because his character wasn’t very likable. He didn’t just want Charlotte back but he took some unscrupulous steps to make this happen. He leaked the information about Will’s dad to get back at him for hanging out with her. But what he did at Bandslam only served to feed a cliche that was completely unnecessary.

If Emmett Otter taught me anything, if you participate in a talent competition, ALWAYS have a backup plan. In this case, make sure you rehearse more than one song.
“Everything I Own” (originally by Bread, but I first heard it covered by *NSYNC on their first album) was featured in the trailers so I figured it would be the band’s song in the movie. But it was so infuriating that the band had an original song… and the rival band from the same high school performed the same song at the competition. The ex was hanging out with Charlotte a lot since her dad died and she left the band to figure out her life. Somehow during this time, he got a hold of this song and left the band in a very awkward position.
I mean, it does work out in the end. The band goes viral on MySpace (that’s how old this movie is- back when MySpace was still relevant) despite not winning the competition. Neither of the Martin Van Buren high school bands win. But the original song was SO GOOD and it was so sad not getting that same impact from the backup song.

One thing that made this movie worth coming back to all these years later- a David Bowie cameo.
Will spends a lot of the movie sending fan letters to him although I’m not sure if he actually sent them or if Bowie read them if he did. But he was among the people who saw the viral performance of the band’s performance and he contacts Will (i.e. the band’s manager) and it’s a super cool full circle moment. Considering he passed away a few years after the movie came out, it could possibly be one of his final appearances in the public eye. How many people actually saw this movie is hard to say but considering this was advertised with the Twilight series because they’re both Summit Entertainment films— this could’ve introduced him to a whole other generation. The soundtrack isn’t too shabby either, featuring some original songs as well as some older songs from him, Mick Jagger and others. Although as far as being a gateway film to introduce younger generations to great music, School of Rock might be a better choice.

Lisa Kudow as Will's mom was also a nice addition to the cast. Like with Aly Michalka, I liked her character in this movie WAY more than the one she played in "Easy A." She has her various quirks and is a bit of a "smother" (fans of the ABC series The Goldbergs will get the reference) at times. But her heart is undoubtedly in the right place.