Tag / Halloween

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You Ought To Be In (13) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, and thanks to a corona virus inspired uptick to my movie watching this year, it is time to look at the 100 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

Today, we continue with the 6 actors that have starred in 13 movies that I have seen, an decrease of 2 at this level from 3 years ago.

Amy Adams

Nothing new from Adams since 2017, when I saw 2016’s Arrival.

Jamie Lee Curtis

My first experience with the former teenage scream queen was likely in the first Halloween, the franchise that is responsible for nearly 40% of the films on this list.  The frequency of my watching her films has slowed down significantly in the 21st century, though, and, after a 7 year lull, my last experience with her was in 2018’s reboot/continuation of Halloween.

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman first entered my movie consciousness when I saw the original Christopher Reeve Superman.  My biggest Hackman years were 2000 and 2003, when I saw 2 of his films.  Hackman has pretty much retired from acting, so his older roles, like 1971’s The French Connection, which I saw in 2018, will have to propel him up this list.

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl burst on to the scene in 1994’s My Father, The Hero, which I took in the following year.  She dropped off my radar, went through puberty, and came back in 1999.  After achieving television stardom, she leaped back to the big screen in a big way in the mid-2000s, including 4 films in 3 years between 2006 and 2008.  After a six year drought, she returned to my screen in 2017 and 2018, with the last film I saw of hers being the ironically titled Unforgettable.

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones first showed up on my screen back in 1993 in The Fugitive.   My big Tommy Lee Jones years were 1997 and 2000, when I saw him in 2 films per year.  After a few years away, my most recent experience with him was earlier this year, in 2019’s Ad Astra.

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds first appeared on my movie radar in 2006, when I saw him in both The Amityville Horror and Just Friends, which started a streak of 5 films in 4 years.  He had double shots in 2006, 2011, 2017, and 2019, where I last saw him in both The Captive and Deadpool 2.

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iTunes Top 200: #112 – 125

itunes_image4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.

We march forward today with the next batch of songs tied with 32 plays and the first batch with 33, dating back to late 2007 according to my iTunes stats.

#125: Darling Violetta – Angel Main Theme
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 6/13/2019
Previous ranking: #56

The band performed 2 songs in a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer before being tasked to perform the theme to the spin-off.

#125: Crew Cuts – Sh Boom
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 10/27/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

A nice debut for the version of the song that was #1 on the Billboard charts for nine weeks during August and September 1954 and most closely resembles the one used in Clue: The Movie.

#125: The Cranberries – Zombie
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 10/30/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

Written about the IRA bombing in Warrington in 1993, the first single from the Cranberries sophomore effort  also appears on Volume 15 of my mix tapes.

#125: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Coda
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019
Previous ranking: #36

The final bit of cast singing from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

#125: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Under Your Spell
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019
Previous ranking: #79

Amber Benson performs the song which writer Joss Whedon called “pornography” and “probably the dirtiest lyric I’ve ever written, but also very, very beautiful”.

#125: Blur – Girls & Boys
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2018: The Year In Travel

As I arrive home from California, I thought it would be nice to look back at the many trips I took last year.  Things got started in March, when I headed out to Las Vegas for the IBM Think conference.  Along the way, I took in a show, Absinthe, at Caesar’s Palace, a Barenaked Ladies concert at Mandalay Bay, and a show by The Chainsmokers at MGM Grand, where I was staying.

Following the conference, I took a detour to Phoenix for a long weekend, where I took in some Cactus League action at Camelback Ranch and Peoria Sports Complex, seeing the White Sox, Cubs, and Mariners (twice!).  I also enjoyed a trip to the slot canyons and Horseshoe Bend in Page, followed by a quick trip to the Grand Canyon.

About a month later, I took a short weekend trip to New York.  Danny, Michael, and I flew to New York on a Friday night, where we met up with Angelina and had dinner with the family she was nannying for.  Saturday was a glorious spring day, spent sight seeing at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, Central Park, the Guggenheim museum, and the Empire State Building.  Sunday was spent at the Lyric Theatre, watching both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, before heading home early Monday morning.

My next trip came at the end of July, as Val and I headed down to Roanoke, Virginia, to celebrate Jeff’s 50th birthday.  After a day of “work”, the highlight of the trip was Saturday’s hike up Catawba Mountain to McAfee Knob.  Sunday was spent recovering, before heading home.

I spent most of September in Europe, starting with a week in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Aside from work, there was a trip to Castle Ward in to look at Game of Thrones filming locations, a hockey game featuring the Belfast Giants, a trip to the Ulster American Folk Park and a nip across the border to the wonderful town of Muff in Ireland, and a Black Cab tour of locations in Belfast related to the Troubles. Continue reading →

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2018: The Year In Movies

Movie_Reel_22

The loss of my annual long December vacation saw a slight downturn in movie watching for me, with my lowest total since 1988.  I managed to watch 55 movies last year, my seventh consecutive year under 100 and my lowest total since 1993.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching, the greater effort made towards going out for walks, and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

The French Connection (1971)
Hailed as one of the best films of the 70s, I can’t say it plays well here in the 21st century.

Cobra (1986)
Somehow I missed this Stallone “classic” back in the day.

Table 19 (2017)
The misfit table at a wedding bands together to settle scored, both old and new.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017)
The classic board game moves to the video age in this sequel.

Patriots Day (2017)
Mark Wahlberg plays the hero of the Boston Marathon bombing.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
It certainly took me a while to see the latest installment in this franchise.

Life (2017)
A team of scientists find proof that life once existed on Mars, potentially dooming life on Earth in the process.

Snatched (2017)
Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn go on vacation together and hijinks ensue.

People Like Us (2012)
When his father dies, Chris Pine learns that he had another family that needs some help.

The Layover (2017)
Two friends compete over a man when a hurricane turns their flight in to a road trip. Continue reading →

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FB4: Week 38

Another disappointing week, thanks to another poor start to the week on Sunday, where a trip up to the Glen to see Venom with Jeff and John, followed by dinner at the Yardhouse, left me at just over 2700 steps.  Things rebounded on Monday, where I was able to finish over 8000 steps.  Tuesday was back down again, as I came nearly 300 steps shy of my daily goal.  Wednesday was the high point of the week, falling just short of 8100 steps.  Thursday improved on Tuesday’s step total by a single step, despite a return trip to the Glen for a goodbye dinner for John, again at the Yardhouse.  Friday was a disappointing day, with just over 5100 steps.  Saturday was another down day, despite heading in to work for a round of video games followed by the latest Halloween film and yet a third trip to Yardhouse for the week.

Total steps: 42,327

Daily average: 6046.7

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FB2: Week 40

fb2_week40A decent week, as I put up my highest total in about a month despite missing my step goal on two days.  Things got off to a decent enough start on Sunday as I barely surpassed the 6000 step goal thanks to a trip to Wrigley Field for Game 5 of the World Series.  Monday was All Hallow’s Eve, and I managed to spend most of the afternoon in traffic, but still passed the day’s goal.  Tuesday used some after-work walking around the neighborhood to come close to 8000 steps.  Wednesday was the first down day of the week, thanks to spending the evening engrossed in Game 7 of the World Series on the television.  Thursday was a decent bounce back day due to some lunch time strolls around the parking lot.  Friday was the big day of the week, and my largest total since the Sprint & Stride back in September, surpassing 12,000 steps thanks to a trip down to Grant Park for the Cubs victory parade and rally.  Saturday was another disappointing day, failing to hit 6000 steps despite meeting Hayley in the Glen for some rugby watching and drinking.

Total steps: 50,365

Daily average: 7195

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Fitbit Week 39

Week39_FBAnother somewhat disappointing week, as I failed to top 50,000 steps for the second consecutive week for the first time since mid-June.  Things got off to a decent enough start on Sunday, with another nice day on Monday.  Tuesday I celebrated my birth, and my step total fell somewhat.  Wednesday was a normal workday, followed by Thursday, which barely managed to surpass my 5500 step goal.  A big rebound on Friday, thanks to a trip to the camera guy along with some other activities.  Thanks to an unending rain and continued work on clearing off the DVR, I failed to cross the 5500 step barrier on Saturday, All Hallow’s Eve.

Total steps: 49,004

Daily average: 7000.1

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GF4 – Week 17

Y4Week17A disappointing week, brought down by a wasted weekend.  The best day of the week was Monday, as I celebrated the 40th anniversary of my birth.  The rest of the week was nothing to write home about, with diminishing returns through Halloween on Friday.  The weekend was a lost cause that killed the whole week, which I spent mostly emptying out the DVR.

Total steps: 35,956

Daily average: 5136.6

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You Ought To Be In (12) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we look at the 8 actors that have starred in 12 movies that I have seen.

Jamie Lee Curtis

My first experience with the former teenage scream queen was likely in the first Halloween, the franchise that is responsible for 1/3 of the films on this list.  The frequency of my watching her films has slowed down significantly in the 21st century, though my last experience with her was just 3 years ago when I saw You Again.

Morgan Freeman

The first film I saw starring Morgan Freeman was the Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.  Starting in 2000, he put together a 6 year streak that covered 8 films.  My biggest Freeman years were 2000, 2005, and, my most recent experience with him, in 2008, when I saw both Wanted and Evan Almighty.

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman first entered my movie consciousness when I saw the original Christopher Reeve Superman.  My biggest Hackman years were 2000 and 2003, when I saw 2 of his films.  Hackman has mostly retired at this point, so the odds are that the last film I saw of his, Runaway Jury in 2012, will continue to be his last.

Corey Haim

My first experience with Corey Haim was likely 1986’s Lucas.  I had seen 6 of his films by the time I graduated high school.  The quality of his movies, along with this life, spiraled downward after that.  My biggest Haim year was 2000, when I saw 3 of his films, none of which likely ever saw the inside of a movie theater.  My final Haim film was 1993’s Just One Of The Girls, which I saw in 2004.  Haim passed away in 2010, so he is not likely to be moving up this list anytime soon.

Gwyneth Paltrow Continue reading →