Abandoned books and/or movies #13

These are the movies that I have started and then stopped watching over the last six months or so. The ones marked with a * are movies I have seen before.

Downhill Racer-- Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, skiing-- I had wanted to see this movie for many years. However, I didn't like it.

The Americanization of Emily-- James Garner is a plus; World War II is a plus; Julie Andrews is a minus. I tried to like this one but couldn't.

Getting Straight-- I'll watch almost anything Elliott Gould does; apparently not this one, though. 

Black Cat, White Cat*-- The best romantic comedy ever made about Gypsy mobsters in the former Yugoslavia. I actually love this movie; I just wasn't in the mood for it on that particular day. I own the soundtrack as well-- it's great, too.

Hidden Fortress-- They say that this movie by Akira Kurosawa (above) inspired George Lucas to make Star Wars. It was pretty good, but I kept falling asleep.

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy-- I was on a bit of a Woody Allen-kick at the time. This pretty much put an end to it.

What Have I Done to Deserve This?-- Directed by Pedro Almodovar; I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided I wanted to watch this one.


Something Wild-- Boring; I stopped when they got to the high school reunion.

Up in the Air*-- I enjoyed this movie when I saw it in the movie theaters.

Salvador*-- I'm not sure you could pay me to sit through an entire Oliver Stone movie these days, not even if it has Jim Belushi in it.

Three Kings*-- In my mind, I love this movie and was really, really looking forward to watching it. It features one of my favorite living white American male actors (George Clooney) and my favorite African-American rapper/actor/director of all time (Ice Cube). For some reason, though, I just wasn't interested this time around.

The Getaway*-- I really like this movie and was quite excited to come across a very cheap DVD copy while out shopping one day. It probably just wasn't the right time to watch it.

The French Connection*-- A hard-hitting portrayal of the reality of life on the police force or neo-fascist swill? You can decide for yourself and let me know.

The Hit*-- I'm not sure why, but this movie failed to grab me this time around. 

Alphaville*-- Boy, do I remember liking this movie way back when I saw it at college.

Shaft*-- I had just watched Across 110th Street and figured I wanted to see another blaxploitation movie. It turned out that I didn't.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #5

Nothing says class and sophistication like a BMW 2002 with a ski rack. I especially liked the BMW's wooden steering wheel.

Note: Wooden steering wheel not visible in photographs.

The greatest NFL game ever

Back in January 1982, my family and the Comfort family were busy driving one Saturday night from Colorado back to Missouri after a ski vacation in Breckenridge, Colorado. As we drove through Kansas that evening, we listened on the radio to what was surely the greatest NFL football game of all time and perhaps the greatest football game of any kind ever played. While I did get to see various highlights of the game, I never was able to see the whole thing, until recently when I purchased a DVD on-line of the entire game. I can now safely say that it was, without a doubt, the greatest ever. Here's just a few reasons why:
1. There were almost too many lead changes or ties in the game to count (I have it at seven), including Miami coming back from being down 24-0 in the first quarter.
2. The hook and lateral play (aka hook and ladder) play at the end of the first half pulled off by Miami's Don Strock, Duriel Harris, and Tony Nathan. If you haven't see this play, you're either fourteen years old, or you've been living in a cave on the far side of a mountain with your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears for the last 26+ years.



Warning: The above video is long and the play doesn't come until about the fourth minute, so be patient. For another take on the play, see below:





3. Between them, QBs Dan Fouts and Don Strock threw the ball for something like 85 times and over 750 yards.


4. San Diego tight end Kellen Winslow set an AFC playoff record for receptions in a single game- 13 caught for 166 yards. He also blocked a potential game-winning kick at the end of regulation, all while suffering from an injured shoulder and serious exhaustion. At the end of the game, he had to be carried off by his teammates.



5. The game featured three missed game-winning field goals, two by Miami's Uwe von Schamann and one by San Diego's Rolf Benirschke.


6. In the first quarter, San Diego's Wes Chandler returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami failed to field the ball and San Diego recovered the live ball.


7. The announcers were Don Crique and John Brodie, the beer commercials were by Schlitz, Budweiser, Stroh's, Miller, and Colt 45. 7-11's advertising slogan was, "Freedom's Waiting For You," (Freedom from Hassle and Delay, to be specific). The RCA SelectaVision Video Disc player was offered for "less than $500" and America's Driving Machinewas the 1982 Dodge Aries K Wagon, because, "On a night like this, you don't need a car, you need a driving machine."


8. The game also included Don Coryell, Don Shula, Jimmy Cefalo, the Orange Bowl, a wire that was hanging down from the stands that had to be cut down, thus delaying the game at a crucial point, and, one of my childhood favorites, Chuck Muncie.