Hard to believe it was 50 (fifty) years ago today that man first travelled in space. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was rocketed aloft on "Vostok 1" on April 12th, 1961, and became a hero across the globe.
(Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space the next month when he journeyed in "Freedom 7".)
Here in Canada we are running up to yet another federal election. I was not originally intending to vote, but have decided to do my duty. It cannot be said enough that we enjoy a pretty charmed life here in the Great White North. I implore my fellow country men and women to cast their ballot. I'm amazed at how many people here refuse to vote.
Minutes ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from this year's upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. This was how it happened: Buffalo beat Tampa Bay 4-2; Washington beat Toronto 3-2; and Toronto beat themselves 82-0.
Quatermass and the Pit, by Nigel Kneale. As a youngster in the early 1970s I would often see a creepy/scary feature film, on television, by the name of Five Million Years to Earth. What it was in reality was a film, by the famous Hammer Studios, titled Quatermass and the Pit. It was based on the BBC version which I linked to above.
My thinking is that as much as I have fond memories of Five Million Years *, I'm beginning to feel that the original Beeb take even more creepy/scary... and I'm only half-way through the show (just finished watching episode 3). My lordy is it good. Impeccable storytelling; and never boring.
(* Note: The television prints kicking about in the early to mid 1970s, here in North America at least, were in b&w -- which only added to the effect. A pristine colour print is not as effective, for some reason. Same goes for Island of Terror: Knew only as a b&w film for years until I saw it in wide-screen and pristine colour print.)
Admittedly there are a lot of stories to be told... and hopefully told well. While I agree with some that perhaps we don't need more films about the Titanic, there is immense -- so you'd think -- branding power here. And a mini-series can really get into things. Besides, James Cameron's 1997 motion picture version of the saga is very one-note (not that there is anything wrong with that).
The Detroit Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight by a score of 4 - 2. The 'eighth place' team in the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres, won their game which puts them 7 points ahead of the Leafy Boys. And to make things worse for the boys in blue, Buffalo still has a game in hand -- potentially a 9 point lead.
Looks like the Leafs are going to miss the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year. That must be a record of some kind for them.
Good night, Irene. And don't forget to turn-off the lights before you leave.
Today a friend lent me his "Stanley Kubrick Collection" DVD boxed set. Where do I start?
Here's an idea: From the first disc on -- Lolita to Eyes Wide Shut.
Look at the open side of the box and see the list of films on the various case spines. It is surreal how many of these movies are considered way above average. Was Kubrick for real?
Hard to believe it was 50 (fifty) years ago today that man first travelled in space. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was rocketed aloft on "Vostok 1" on April 12th, 1961, and became a hero across the globe.
Here in Canada we are running up to yet another federal election. I was not originally intending to vote, but have decided to do my duty. It cannot be said enough that we enjoy a pretty charmed life here in the Great White North. I implore my fellow country men and women to cast their ballot. I'm amazed at how many people here refuse to vote.
Minutes ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from this year's upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. This was how it happened: Buffalo beat Tampa Bay 4-2; Washington beat Toronto 3-2; and Toronto beat themselves 82-0.
