Category Archives: Movies in Bed
Movies in Bed: The Curse of Oak Island
Post by Mark T. Locker
Have you heard of this fabled “Money Pit” on a small island in Nova Scotia? I just learned about this in a book I got for my son called “The Big Book of WHAT?” that features all kinds of amazing but true stuff, like the weird Winchester House and this “Money Pit”.
Apparently, a couple hundred years ago, some folks excavated this unusual depression in the ground. Every 20 feet or so (I guess it was metres, since we’re in Canada) they would find layers of logs or coconut fibers or stones, weird stuff to find in a hole. Suddenly, the tunnel flooded with seawater. Over the centuries others have tried to excavate this spot. There seems to be some kind of trap set up, tunnels that lead to the ocean which are triggered at a certain depth. A fellow even proved this bizarre fact by coloring the water in the hole and pumping air into it. Lo and behold, the colored water was spotted leeching into the ocean in two different spots! Crazy, right?
Enter the History Channel, whose skill at sensationalizing just about anything you can imagine, and who pushes the definition of “history” to the very limits. A couple retired brothers have bought a controlling interest in the company that owns Oak Island and are now determined to uncover the mysteries of this place. Even without the excessive sensationalizing, it’s a pretty weird place. Throwing in suggestions that the Ark of the Covenant is buried there takes away some of the credibility but the stories surrounding the island are real and date back centuries. It’s a fun and fairly brainless show to enjoy.
Movies in Bed: Doctor Who
Post by Mark T. Locker.
All of nerd-dom has been all a-twitter about the 50th—FIFTIETH!!—anniversary of that darling of Cardiff, or should I say of the planet Gallifrey, Doctor Who. Since 1963, this unique science-fiction show has been taking viewers around time and space in the telltale blue police box the quirky disguise for the spaceship/time machine the TARDIS. In 2005, BBC relaunched the show after a 16-year hiatus. One of the handy features of the Doctor, the last of the Timelords, is that he is eternal and also he takes on a new form—and with it a new personality—regularly! So it manages to stay fresh by replacing the main character every couple years while at the same time keeping the main character. We have just been introduced to the 12th Doctor. People have been geeking out about it for months.
The reason this show is front and center in my mind is that my son discovered it, quite by accident. I dropped a couple dollars on Lego man-sized figurines at the local comic shop. He was instantly taken with the two evil robots I unwrapped: a Dalek and a Cyberman. Eventually, they became his. He has since read through several Doctor Who books and learned more than I know about the show. Last week, during his winter break, he finally got to watch the first episode of the relaunch. About 2/3 of the show is simply too scary for him but he absolutely loves it. And no nightmares yet!
It has retained a bit of the hokiness of its early days, it’s a little bit silly and a little bit awesome. Fun to watch in the evenings.
Movies in Bed: The Booth at the End
Post by Mark T. Locker
I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I rarely find the time to watch movies anymore. Once the boy is asleep, I feel pressured to maximize the two hours I have until my own bedtime and I rarely want to commit a full two hours to a movie. A couple 22-minute television shows seems much more within my grasp in the evenings.
I was recently introduced to this show, which I think is only available on Hulu. “The Booth at the End” features Xander Berkeley, who is one of those actors you see everywhere but can’t quite put a finger on. In that respect, he is the perfect character for this tantalizing and unusual show. His character, who is never named, sits all day, every day in a diner in the—you guessed it—booth at the end. People learn one way or another about this man and come to visit him, each with a wish. He can make whatever they want happen but it always comes at a certain cost: they must first do something for him. A nun wants to hear the voice of God like she used to. The man looks in his notebook and says that to hear God again, she must become pregnant. An old woman wants her husband to come back from Alzheimer’s. The notebook says she must plant a bomb in a crowded place to accomplish this. The characters are complex and as tortured as you might hope they would be. Some do what they are asked, some are forced to weigh the value of one life against another.
It’s easy to get sucked into this incredible show. It’s easy to get angry, or relieved, when watching these people weigh their options. A definite must-watch.
Movies in Bed: A Christmas Story
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Well folks, it’s that time of year again! Late December. For those who celebrate Christmas, it’s nearly Christmas. Since Thanksgiving I’m sure loads of people have been unpacking their puff-painted snowman sweaters, setting up their miniature Christmas villages complete with twinkling lights and real live sprinkles of mirth, and dusting off the old holiday movie collection. I’ve actually never seen Miracle on 34th Street or White Christmas and I’ve only seen It’s a Wonderful Life in bits and pieces. I just don’t come from that kind of family.
We were, however, the kind of family that watched A Christmas Story every year. I probably still watch it every year. I know—I’m not special. A whole lot of people watch it. Doesn’t TNT or TBN or some T channel play it on repeat on Christmas day? I’m not crazy; I’m going to watch it just once. This year, we will try and get the kid to watch it too. Not sure if he will. I like the movie. I’m not a rabid fan; I’m not going to get a leg lamp or anything like that. Also, the whiny cry all the children do is nails on a chalkboard to me.
Anyway, you all probably know this movie already. It’s funny, it’s nostalgic, it’s something a lot of us can relate to in one way or another. It’s going to be on every channel in a couple days so you may as well watch it.
Movies in Bed: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Post by Mark T. Locker.
If you are a regular reader of my posts you will know that we recently read the classic children’s novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I figured this was a great opportunity to introduce my son to the concept of, “that’s not how it happened in the book!” Well, it turns out his dad is a more critical viewer than he is. I still have memories of being soooo irritated when the movie came out. I didn’t remember the book well enough to have strong feelings about its trueness to the book. But I do remember that it seemed to really, REALLY want to be The Lord of the Rings. LOTR it ain’t. And the sweeping shots of the beavers and children walking over fields is just not the same as the sweeping shots of men, dwarves, and elves walking on mountainous ridges. Sorry, whoever directed this movie.
If you ask my boy, he will tell you that he liked the movie. But he will also tell you that his favorite part of the book is SPOILER ALERT the part where Aslan comes back to life and Lucy and Susan and Aslan wrestle and play in the grass in the morning. It is a beautiful scene, one which was not included in the movie, presumably to make more time for sweeping shots of beavers walking across the grass or of lots of monsters battling. That said, it’s surely better than the live-action Cat in the Hat movie or a Barney marathon. There is a lot of violence thanks to the extended battle scene, but none of it is bloody.There are worst ways to spend a weekend evening.
