Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 

 Within the first few minutes, you know you've made a mistake with picking a movie. Yet, you can't look away because it is so bad. If you like being reminded that Kevin James is fat and enjoy watching him fall down and get hit, then this movie is for you.

Kevin James, somehow you managed to make a movie that is worst than the first movie. I am not sure if it was laziness or sheer stupidity, but this movie makes the first one look like Observe and Report. Yet, I could sit through the movie to end. (I couldn't finish Strange Magic) Blart is a poorly constructed sequel that no one wanted or asked for after 6-7 years. Yet, here it is. I hate Kevin James and his character Blart, but I don't truly hate this movie. I actually feel sad for it like a lost kitten.

There is NO reason for this movie to even be made. It seemed the first movie said all that it needed to say about. They separate Blart from his wife from the first movie just to make him single again.

The movie doesn't get going with the main plot some 30-40 minutes into the movie. Instead, we get a bunch of physical “humor” and scenes with Blart trying to get connected with his daughter. The whole daughter plot is completely worthless and not entertaining.

The second half of the movie is a rehash of the first movie, except now it is happening in hotel. The villains want to steal priceless art and his daughter gets captured. Now, you just throw in a bunch of other “loser” security guards into the mix and that's your Paul Blart 2.

Kevin James does a lot, I mean a lot, of falling and bumping into things. Things hit him and so on. Yet, I kept thinking that Chris Farley did it much better, but Chris usually had a better/funnier script to back him up. Here, James simply only relies on his pratfalls to string along the movie. It doesn't work here just as it doesn't in those Grown Ups movies. And, I hope you like swegway humor, because you will see a lot of it.

Okay, I got one single laugh out of this piece of shit. Paul Blart accidentally punches an old woman and it is rather funny. You got a single chuckle from the joke. Neal McDonough as the bad guy isn't bad, but he's wasted in the role because he's such a good character actor.

With a movie this bad, who decided to make a sequel so many years later? Even though the first movie was a hit, no one asked for a sequel. And, most Kevin James movies are basically Paul Blart sequels anyway. Remember Zookeeper?

It just a lazy movie with a combination of gags patched together. Blart gets attacked by a large bird. What does this have to do with the plot? Nothing. You could cut it out completely and it would have no impact on the story. (You can cut out the callback to it with the bad guy getting attacked too, because it does nothing.)

The movie is useless and unfunny. Kevin James looks bored doing all of his prat-falls and his facial gestures are lame. I am truly beginning to hate Kevin James' bag of comedic tricks and it is because of this movie. Plot lines go nowhere and random things seem to happen for no reason and go unexplained. Paul Blart 2 is a total mess and I have to wonder if there was even a complete script on the set.

Kevin James' “comedic” falls and facial expression are very tiresome and nerve-racking. There is only one joke that works in an otherwise stupid, no, dumb movie. It is not the worst movie ever made, but it might be the laziest.

Grade: D-

Jaleel White and Wax Museum Steve Urkel

Jaleel White and Wax Museum Steve Urkel 

What the f' was that? Did I fall into a time vortex and arrive in the 90s?

I really, really hate this ad a lot and I really hate the character of Urkel too. I remember everyone talking about how cool he was in his first appearance on Family Matters. I kind of liked the original concept of the show with it being about a black working class family, Then, they added Urkel to the show and the ratings started to take off, but the concept for the show switched to Urkel instead. 

The show got progressively dumber and dumber with a bunch of sci-fi concepts. 

I hated the character because he was just an updated version of JJ from Good Times. I just didn't understand why people liked him given that he's a live version of Jar-Jar Binks.

I guess some ad exec got nostalgic for TGIF shows and dug up Jaleel White (AKA Sonic the Hedgehog) for this stupid unfunny commercial.

And, if I hear one more person say, “did I do that?”...

F' Steve Urkel. 

The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

Oh, boy this is a bad, bad movie. Rob Cohen again brings his shitty game to this movie. Has he ever made a good movie? It stars J-Lo and her booty. It is part thriller and part horror (bad horror at that). Basically, J-Lo falls in love with the boy next door, bangs him and then regrets it. The Next Door Boy becomes a stalker and starts doing crazy things.

Think of this movie as a part That's My Boy (but funnier) and part J-Lo movie. None of it works. You know you're in trouble when the movie opens on a poorly conceived montage while J-Lo is jogging just to give us back story into the family. I was utterly confused and then amused because it poorly acted and edited.

The dialogue between J-Lo and her family is laughable at best.

When the “boy” shows up, the movie only gets worst from there. Ryan Guzman is NOT 17 years old as the movie tries to tell you. He looks more like 25 years old than 17. And, it not convincing in any way. Guzman is downright terrible as the stalker type and he seems to come from the school of Twilight acting. If you're into man ass, this movie is for you because you will see Guzman's ass a lot and his body.

Jennifer Lopez also seems to have gotten worst in the acting department too. She isn't very convincing as teacher or a mother. She screams and screeches, but not much else. Lopez is stunningly pretty and she's 46 years old. Rob Cohen seems to like J-Lo's booty because the camera trains on it all the time.

I know that she's made a lot of mundane movies, but this movie might be the worst of the bunch. The climax turns into a bit of a shitty horror movie, but it isn't compelling. In the end, due to the low budget, the movie turned out to be a hit for Cohen.

This movie looks cheap. The script is really bad and the editing is just plain stupid. Only watch this movie if you want a good laugh. It only works as an unintended comedy.

Grade: F+

Small Wonder Kids

If you remember that horrible show Small Wonder, you remember the really bad cast. The thing is the child actors from show what happens after the show ends on both ends of the spectrum.

Tiffany Brissette aka Vicki: She ended up leaving acting and went to college and became a nurse. She seems to have moved away from Hollywood and not become a total asshole like some child actresses.

On the other hand...The fat kid that played her brother ended up with a lot of shit. The TV Guidance Counselor Podcast and they mentioned that other kid ended up in a bad, bad place...literally.

Jerry Supiran: He ended up leaving acting in 89, but here's the worst part. He was a waiter for a while before losing his job. Now, he lives under a bridge...just like a troll.  He is homeless

From Fox News.com, ((Down-on-his-luck actor Jerry Supiran, 39, also claimed a crooked money man contributed to his current situation, living under a bridge in central California, according to The National Enquirer ))

And, he blames a stripper he was dating that stole most of his money. He should have know you never date a stripper. Anyway, this is pretty f'ed up. Maybe, he needs to contact Vicki.  

Well, he could be an extra on Sons of Anarchy.

Slap a Homeless, land in jail

Guy in front of the camera, let me be the first to tell you to “fuck off”. Its people like you that make the black community so fucked up today. We talk about the outside forces that screw up minority/urban areas, but it is little pieces of human shits like that make going to the “hood” unbearable.

Now, I am NOT a huge fan of the homeless folks, mainly because they continue to bother you after you tell them no, but this is inhuman. You know a lot of these people have major mental problems and living bad conditions, they don't need your ignorant ass knocking them out.

When a homeless person gets pushy or shitty, you walk away from them. Don't confront them.  And, why do the thugs sound just as bad as the homeless folks?  What has happened to our education system?  

It also bothers me that, in broken English, the ignorant thugs talking shit after knocking out a 40+ woman. Yeah, you're a real thug, asshole.

Here's the best part. It was posted on Facebook as if to brag about it on social media. It didn't take long for the police to arrest him. And, it gets better. He lunged at a cop in jail and got his ass handed to him just like he did to that homeless woman. Don't take my word for it...

So, now he has two charges on him.  Sadly, I am almost certain this guy didn't have a future to begin with, so I am sure he doesn't give a shit about spending time in jail.  

Jupiter Ascending (Part 2 of 2)

 Jupiter Ascending (Part 2 of 2)

Michael Giacchino is the composer and it is one of the best things in the movie. Giacchino 's score is very good and stands out as the shining aspect in a steaming turd. The chorus gives the movie an epic feel with some powerful themes. The score is very catchy with some strong themes. Trust me when I say that the bombastic music gives this movie an edge. It seems to be the only thing the directors cared about other than the visuals and makeup and it shows. Make sure to take a listen.

So what about the leading star of the movie Mila Kunis?

Mila does three things in this movie. She gets captured, whispers a lot and falls a lot. For a movie that is centered around her character. She isn't as active as Neo in the Matrix. And, that is interesting because she also discovers her mundane world is just a front for a bigger universe. Plus, the movie goes out of its way to tell us how important Jupiter Jones is to this expansive world. Yet, the makes her such a passive character that it becomes rather boring and unappealing.

Everything happens around her, but she doesn't seem to have a say in the action.

And, she makes some wrong choices in her acting. There are times when she is channeling the actors from Twilight with her deadpan delivery. I know that the production intended to have Natalie Portman as Jupiter, but she dropped out thankfully for her. Mila took over. I am guessing Natalie didn't want to be attached to another poorly written franchise. While Mila Kunis is very cute, she isn't right for this part and it shows. You can never get a hint at what is she going for here, but you could blame that on bad direction too.

Like Lucas, the directors seem to make bad casting choices.

Let's go to Channing Tatum. His character is part werewolf and part human. And, it looks really silly. Now, let's talk about his space skates. I know they wanted to make it look cool that Channing flies around with floating and flying skates, but it looks stupid...really stupid. The effects just don't seem right and a bit off in some shots. Plus, having a skating hero feels very 90s. I know it goes back to this Japanese animation style of having an extreme sports hero, but it doesn't work in the more epic setting. There are times when it looks very bad and it is in the movie all the time.

Despite the flying boots, Channin does okay as the second lead, despite the fact he's more of the hero than Jupiter and she IS the title character. I feel that the “siblings” tried their best to push forward a super strong male lead to bring in the female crowd, but in turn weak the main female lead, which this story was supposed to be about. I also have to give Channing credit for dealing with explaining more of the dumber things to Jupiter with a straight face. Even when it doesn't make sense, he appears to believe it.

Now, the worst and unintentionally funny person is Eddie Redmayne. What is that strange whisper voice he does throughout the movie? Are we supposed laugh at the main bad guy? And, what was his motivation? Eddie Redmayne's voice is the worst thing about the movie. It is that bad.

With Mila not having much to do in her own movie, there really isn't much to cheer for. And, they even add in her family being captured into the story almost as a last second thought. The movie feels like a weaker clone of their Matrix movies with worst off-decisions that almost make this a unintentional comedy. The strong score does save this movie on some levels, but not enough. Sadly, The Wachowskis have fallen into the same trap as George Lucas and that M. Knight guy. The visuals and outfits are outstanding though. However, the movie simply is a failure on a grand scale.

Grade: D

Project Greenlight: The driver

This show is so good this season.  It seems like this is a movie I'd love to see.  And, it is coming together better than Battle at Shaker Heights.   

Effie Brown: I understand her point of view of on diversity. I can get behind wanting more minorities in front and behind the camera. Hollywood is lacking that behind the scenes folks. However, I had a major problem with her freaking out over a black man being a driver in a scene. In real life, there are people of color that work in the service industry.

Why was this such a hang up for her?

From Scpr.com, ((Brown says in the show why she changed the casting of the driver to a white actor: "A butler, a chauffeur — these are tropes that we have seen time and time again, and I think that those images are done. It's time for us to tell a different narrative."  ))

But there is a difference between showing a buffoonish black server, in those old movies, and just having an extra in the scene. It was just a driver that happened to be black. I get the feeling that Effie Brown is trying to force diversity down this production at all cost. You're only putting a ban-aid on the situation, when it needs to change from the ground up. The actual culture within the black community needs to change too.

We need more black people in tech and creative things, but that's because we shun education in our culture a great deal. We need more nerds instead of thugs. We need to stop worrying about how we dress and our cars and focus in on grades and getting more black people into school. 

I keep seeing more and more young black kids behaving in such an ignorant and rude manner that I am starting to fear we will never get ahead.  Let's have more people in production and tech stuff, but let's work on it from the ground up.  When Hollywood doesn't let you in, you make your own movies. 

Like the Black Lives Matter movement, Brown seems to only be focused on the surface level instead of getting to root of the problem. IE changing the culture of the black community.

Side Note: Yes, Black Lives Matter, the police are a problem, but can we also address the black on black crime too? We have a huge problem with black killing other black people. Let's change the culture from within instead of just focusing on the cops.

Rick and Morty - Feels Good

Rick and Morty - Feels Good

I love this show and it always parodies sci-fi tropes and cliches. I love the mean spirited nature of the show given how PC we've become over the years. This episode is one of my favorites because the entire thing is ripping apart the concept of The Purge. The whole Purge thing is a flawed concept away that has spawned two (maybe more) movies.

In the end, Rick and Morty get Iron Man type suits and start killing people. Morty starts playing Tony, Toni, Tone's Feels Good. I love when the native girl starts dancing to the song as the floors are soaked in blood.

Whenever I hear this song, I just laugh now thanks to R&M.

It feels good!

Jupiter Ascending (Part 1 of 2)

 

Jupiter Ascending (Part 1 of 2)

Oh, boy, this movie is such an epic mess that it almost comes across as a parody of a big budget film . There are bad acting choices and poor story decisions that this movie makes you actually long for the days of Speed Racer and The Matrix Revolution. That's how bad this movie is. Given this is a fresh and new world, I wanted to like the movie, but the movie is just plain bad. The movie is a total mess with a major budget and never made its money back despite doing better overseas.

First off, the visuals are truly stunning. It honestly looks like a live action Anime movie. There are robots of all sorts and huge ships and strange aliens thrown in for good measure. The style of clothing is also pretty to marvel. There are some amazing things here they wanted to do in their earlier movies. However, wrapped up in a weak narrative and poor acting, it simply fails.

Overall, the characters and story are just weak.

It is like they fell into the same traps that Lucas did with his Star Wars prequels. All glitz and glitter without a strong story. Plus, The Wachowskis make some really stupid acting decisions. Just because you have this stunning world doesn't make your movie any good with some good acting. People have to care about the story and the characters first. You make that connection with the characters and grab them with a fun story. The visuals are the icing on the cake.

Perhaps giving the siblings so much creative power might be a bad thing?

So, the are a lot of good small ideas encased within a poorly conceived bigger plot. Like The Matrix, the bad guys are using humans to bring extended life to their bodies and harvesting the life force from living creatures is a hot commodity in the larger galaxy. Then, you have to understand that high born people own planets and that Mila Kutza is supposed to be the rightful owner of Earth due to the fact she is supposed to be high born herself. She reborn from a Queen of some type.

And, trust me, it gets a lot sillier when you add the religious bullshit they try to shoehorn in to with connections to science and DNA. It felt natural in the first two Matrix movies. In Jupiter, it feels really, really forced. Did we really need the faith argument brought up again?

After watching this movie, it is quite clear The Wachowskis have lost touch with how to tell a proper movie narrative. Like Lucas, they sort of box themselves away from the outside world and seem to only take in Anime influences. Stories have to make sense within the word the set in, but time and time again glaring plot-holes make this movie difficult to sit through.

One of the biggest ones has to do with aliens “blanking” human minds. On a personal level, skinny aliens wiping away portions of people's memories works. On a huge scale, not so much. Yet, there is a huge battle that happens in a major city where buildings, subway cars and regular cars explode or get turned over. At one point, clearly some people died in the battle. Yet, Channing Tatum 's character explains that everything will be rebuilt by the next day and the population's memories will be wiped. Uh, what about the people that clearly died throughout the city? They're dead. Won't someone miss them?

Why not just leave the city in shambles and have the population question the alien issue. Why add the element of massive rebuilding and memory loss without addressing the death issue. You're just digging yourself a plot-hole.

And, there are many other holes to.

At one point, Channing's character is blown out of an airlock, so they can kill him. The people is they also blow out fast-sealing space suits out of the same airlock. So, Channing, withing seconds, can place a protective space suit around him before he dies. Why leave those things in the airlock? Did you want him to live?

The other thing is they try to jam pack all this back story into the movie about family history and other things. You can get away with it in a series like Game of Thrones because you have hour upon hours to explain it away. Not in a 2-plus hour movie. I found myself bored with the history of the royal families because we simply don't have the time to flesh it out.

I like this outfit

I hate Halloween, but I came across this adult outfit that caught my attention. Now, that's combining two things I like in the world: Women and Bubblegum. I wonder what would happen if you turn the nob?  And, I'd be okay with women walking around in this outfit all year long.  

Now, if they have a corn on the cob sexy outfit....They do.

I could make some kind of butter joke, but I won't.  

Side note: In the first season of TNG, they strongly imply Halloween isn't around anymore. Picard doesn't seem to recognize it. I hope for this future too. So no Halloween or baseball.   

Focus

Focus

Someone wanted me to watch and review this movie, so let's get started.

Will Smith plays a conman that ends up falling in love with a new conwoman. We get to see the inside to his methods via the newer conwoman. For about 40 minutes, it is a very good movie. However, it just completely falls apart in the second half. With some good acting, the movie is a little better than it should be.

The movie is separated into two sections with only a few things connected between the two. And, the first half of the movie is the better part of the movie. It is a real shame the second half just falls flat. The first half introduces Will Smith's character and his con game. It seems to work well with the story, acting and editing. The movie truly feels like a con movie where we see all the various cons and it is very fun to watch. I had a smile on my face when I watched them explaining all the cons.

The story is very good at that point. Plus, we get to see Will Smith's operation through the eyes of a newcomer. And, the payoff to the first half is very clever, if slightly unbelievable. But it is a nice way to payoff all the setups to earlier in the film.

Then the movie takes a huge dive in quality when “Three Years Later” flashes on screen. The second half feels like a completely different movie. It takes a serious turn and doesn't seem fun at all. This drop in quality story happens in Buenos Aires and we get a whole new set of characters.

However, the performances are pretty good overall.

Will Smith is very good as this flawed character. He plays a pretty good conman and he has a darker edge to him that comes out during the last portion of the first half. He does it extremely well overall. Smith's character gets weaker in the second half and seems to lose his interesting traits.

Margot Robbie, the up in coming con-woman, is very good too. She plays off of Smith because she shares most of the scenes with him. I also like the movie doesn't shy away from the interracial relationship either. I am sure some people had a problem with this. Robbie's characters also becomes uninteresting in the second half too. She becomes more of a side character that only messes up Smith's game more than being the “focus” of the story.

Gerald McRaney as a villain of sorts is always good in his roles. He's become a total a-hole in movies and TV shows since Deadwood. He's great as the bad guy in House of Cards too. Here he's playing someone similar and it works. Who knew Major Dad was such a badass.

The twist upon twist in the first half, while silly, is still entertaining. However, the movie's bigger twist becomes a bit stale for its second half. Will Smith and Robbie are great together and are really good in the first portion of the movie. With great acting and a okay story, you won't be bored with Focus. Yet, it loses “focus” in the second half.

Grade: C

After watching Wild Wild West all day, this is what Will Smith looks like.  

Random Things

Random Things

 ~Charlie's Angels the first movie: While Tom Green isn't that funny in the movie, most of the other things actually work. The movie is full of the camera zooming in on the three women asses, not that I am complaining, but there are a ton of ass shots. McG must really like the booty. This was also during the time when Hollywood loved Chinese wire-work. There are also tons of double entendre every scene. It's a silly movie that is a lot of fun and funny.This movie came out in 2000...15 years ago.  They also tried to relive that movie with another TV in 2011, but that failed.  I think something like that on TV can only work back in the 70s and 80s.  

~Re-Watched Moon: That's the Sam Rockwell movie where Sam's character (Named Sam) discovers that he is a clone and meets up with his former clone. It is interesting to see Rockwell play two different versions of himself from different points in his three year life span. I wrote a review on it years ago and it still holds up today. I highly recommend this movie.

~Lamar Odom found unconscious in a brothel: If you remember, ugly man Odom married the not so hot Khloe Kardashian. From what I heard, he was heavy into the drugs and she had enough and divorced him. Well, he was found in a love ranch in Nevada. He was so tall that the chopper could take him to the ER. I will give Khloe this, she's been with him since he was put in the hospital. There are Kardashians with some heart, but please don't put this in your show.

~Miley Cyrus to put on an all nude concert: Uh, you might want to rethink that idea, Miley. I know your brand is to shock people with your outrageous antics, but not everyone needs to walk around naked. I for one would never go to a nude beach because I look like a mess. I wouldn't want to see other mes at your concert. I also I have problem with Miley because she seems to be trying too hard to be outrageous for the sake of it. You hate your Disney work, we get it. How about just making music we can listen to? That concert is going to have a lot of Duck-Butter and real smelly funk to it. 

~Speaking of Miley...Did you know there is a pornstar counterpart to Cyrus? Her name is Miley May. She also goes by Caroline Cross. Why do I find the Pornstar version more attractive?

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

 Well, it is certainly better than the second movie, but not as entertaining and funny as the first movie. I love history and the various figures from the different time periods. It is a cool concept that worked for the first movie, and it works somewhat here. I think the script is far weaker that the first movie.

The magical tablet from the first two movie is starting to lose its power and all the figures start to malfunction. The gang goes to a British Museum to figure out what is going on to the tablet.

Shawn Levy's direction is rather bland and doesn't stand out. Levy isn't the best director overall to make these effects heavy movies or comedies. I think Levy should have gone through the script a few more times.

Robin Williams is very good as Teddy Roosevelt. It is very sad to see Williams in basically his last role. He was the best thing about the first two movies. I am really saddened that this will be his final performance. He truly is Roosevelt in this movie. There is a nice callback to the first time Roosevelt and Stiller first meet, where he scares Stiller. I love that moment.

Speaking Stiller, the caveman version of Stiller isn't very funny at all. I hated every time they cut to the caveman Stiller. I know Stiller wanted a silly character to play, but it just comes across as really annoying. I cringe every time he was on screen. It just doesn't work.

Like I wrote above, the characters are pretty fun and seeing new characters appear in the second act. The visual effects are really good and are the highlights of the movie.

This movie does contradict the mythology of the first two movies in a way. From what I can tell, the power of the tablet only brings things to life only when the tablet is in the area. If the tablet isn't there, nothing really comes to life.

And, the key to getting the tablet to regain its power is to raise it in front of the moonlight. Really? It is like they ran into a problem their third act and just came up with the easiest way to solve their key issue.

Then a certain character has a heel-turn which just doesn't make sense. Then, this character switches again and becomes a good guy. I think the movie needed a bigger villain than a confused guy with misguided virtues.

Hugh Jackman and Alice Eve make cameo appearances as themselves. It doesn't really work that well as a scene, but there is a nice X-Men reference. The score even plays the X-Men theme. And, Rebel Wilson is very good as the London counterpart to Ben Stiller's character.

While it isn't as good as the first movie, it is certainly better than the second movie. It doesn't have the charm and wonderment of the first movie, but there are some funny and fun moments. I do believe this should be last movie in the franchise. It does bookend the movie franchise fairly nicely despite some major flaws with the script.

Grade: C+

Game of War: Please stop trying to confuse yourself with Game of Thrones

Game of War: Please stop trying to confuse yourself with Game of Thrones

Every time I see an ad for Game of War, I shake my head. Please stop trying to confuse people into thinking this is a Game of Thrones game. Game of War is such a generic title that has to be the only reason to call it that. It's like calling GTA Game of Carjacking. I know book series that the show is based on came out a long time ago, but the TV came out in April 2011. “Just throw game in the title!”

Yeah, I not complaining about the nudity, but does this remind you of anyone from Game of Thrones that has an empire right now?  

Then there are the annoying ads. I am no Anita, but really, Machine Zone? Boobs are your way to for a strategy game? At least with GTA, there was actual sex and nudity. Here, you keep showing off Kate Upton breasts and her bad acting as if boobs will pop out of your Phone when you win. The ads just annoy me on all levels, and I LOVE sex appeal.

From the Game of War wiki, ((Approximately $40 million was spent on marketing Game of War: Fire Age in 2014.[5] Along with advertisements in digital and social media, highly produced television commercials featuring model Kate Upton were created. The ads highlight Upton's sex appeal as she leads battles in fantasy settings loosely comparable to those in Game of Thrones. ))

40 million, that's a lot of cash to throw around. I guess it paid off. Now instead of watching Upron's boobs bounce around, we will get to see Mariah Carey become the face of Game of War. When I think of strategy games, I think of Mariah Carey. Wait, what?

I've always liked WOW way of marketing their game instead.

BTW, I am sure Carey thought she was doing a Game of Thrones spin off or something...

Yep, let's make sure our logo is close enough to the GOT logo as possible with being sued.  

Back to the Future tour 30 years later

Back to the Future tour 30 years later

You should have seen my face when I watched this video. I rarely smile or grin anymore, but I was grinning with pure delight. It is extremely cool to see these locations. BTTF is one of my favorite movies, and most of my friends are aware of this because I constantly quote the first two movies. And, I still call people Buttheads.

~The train location, where the time machine gets destroyed: I guess there was never a bridge there and that was painted in. Also, why didn't the train stop after smashing the time machine. It looks like the track isn't in use today, but I have to look it up to see.

~Hilldale: The grass seems to be a bit more patchy, but it looks the same. BTW, the neighborhood looks pretty good, but the movie wants you to believe it is a piece of shit.

~Marty's Home: Wow, it looks almost the same in every way. I am sure the owners really hate seeing fanboys visiting their house. I am almost certain they get the guys that come knocking asking if Marty is home.

~Twin/Lone Pine Mall: It hasn't changed in shape, but the stores are all different. I heard people come to visit the parking lot on certain nights.

~What happened to the second door?: I am a little upset the church got rid of the second door that Marty goes through after he talks to his parents. Here's the thing; that second door also hits the second Marty in the face in BTTF II. 

~Burger King is still around.  

Here's a site that has some photos too.   

Ahmed: The Clock King

Ahmed: The Clock King

Cool clock, bro.

Look, I don't really know what to say. I really can't take a side on this issue, because it does seem to be all over the place. It will be troubling to find out this father made his son do it for fame and donations. There seems to be a trend where people stage a racist or homophobic narrative in order to get attention or to get rich. I always hate this type of shit, because it takes away from actual racist or homophobic incidents. Remember the waitress that made up the homophobic note in order to get rich. I am really hoping this isn't the case with this kid and his strange father.

It just feels like the Balloon Boy all over again.

I still think there was an overreaction to the clock though. They shouldn't have arrested him over this shit, but something doesn't add up. However, the video also has a bit of a slant too. The video leans too far right for me to be 100% on board. However, we got too many people cashing in on incidents too.

I just can't take a side in this.

Side Note: There are Halloween costumes made to look like Ahmed. I really hate Halloween. Wearing this outfit will get someone shot. 

When did Halloween become an adult holiday? Knock it off.

Maybe Ahmed Mohamed is the future DC villain Clock King?  Yes, you will grow up to be the worst DC villain. 

William Shatner vs. Wil Wheaton (revisited)

William Shatner vs. Wil Wheaton (revisited)

Wil Wheaton and I may not see eye to eye political, but it takes some guts to reveal this incident. I always mention this story to hardcore TOS fans when they diss TNG.The TNG cast got along really well. After the Bill Cosby thing, I really don't have "heroes" to look up to anymore.  Wil had to deal with that at a younger age. 

I've told this story many times, but it is good to hear it from the source first hand. I actually remember reading about this incident years before the Internet was even a thing. It seems the encounter with Shatner had gotten around the studio and whispered to outsiders too. It even made it into a tell-all Trek movie book.

I heard all the stories about the TOS actors hating him and Nick Myers being very vocal about his encounters with Shatner on ST-II and VI. However, this incident just stayed with me. As I wrote before, I could have met Shatner first hand at a local video/comic book shop (Road Runner) years ago in the 90s. I remember that because I collected a lot of comic books during the mid to late 90s.

The owner of the comic book side of the shop wanted to get Shatner to pose for a photo with one of his Star Trek comics. I saw Shatner at back of the video store with a small crowd around him. I wasn't sure if they were a part of his entourage or fanboys (and girls).

That story about Wil and Shatner danced in my head. I remember the saying, “Never meet your heroes.” I left the store and decided not to meet him. I've seen other TOS cast members and they were really nice.  Heck, I walked passed  George Takei and didn't realize it once.  Heck, even Q is great at conventions. 

My uncle had an encounter with Shatner while he was working at a rather big hotel in the east end of Louisville. My uncle basically said that he carried his bags to his room, but Shatner wasn't very nice. My heart sort of dropped. But, I loved that my uncle was happy to tell me he met Captain Kirk. He actually told me, “I met Captain Kirk today. He's a lot shorter than he looks on TV.”

Shatner wasn't a big fan of TNG and felt threatened by this new show. He made sure the press knew he wasn't a fan of the show, but he claimed to never watch the show. Wil was just a reminder of that new show stealing his press. I also LOVE that Shatner, as a director, used some of the standing sets FROM TNG. He even used some major behind the scenes crew members from TNG on his Star Trek V set. 

 

Granted, most of the corridor sets from TNG are redresses of the corridors used in the first three TNG movies, but there were clearly some changes made to set the TOS movie era from TNG's era.  In STV, they just removed the "black interface" on the walls, but kept the TNG font on the doors.