SUPERMAN at the Paramount on SUNDAY

Hey, Leaguers

I'm going to be a bit out of pocket for a few days while the in-laws are here, so I'm posting now.

SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE will be playing at the Paramount Theater on Sunday JULY 15th at 7:00 PM.

The League of Melbotis reps will be there nice and early to get a good seat. You need to be there, too!

Come for all the fantastic fun and Ned Beatty one director can cram into one movie!


SUPERMAN, COMING AT YA!!!

Compare and contrast Margot Kidder and Valerie Perrine! Compare and contrast Gene Hackman and The League's own JAL! Thrill as Superman saves a helicopter! Gasp as Lois's thoughts are transformed into poetry! Cheer as Ned Beatty walks through a train station! Trip the light fandango with a baby in a chandelier! And BRANDO IN A POWDERED WIG...!


ONE NIGHT ONLY!!! JOIN THE LEAGUE OF MELBOTIS AT THE PARAMOUNT ON SUNDAY @ 7:00 for THE MOVIE THAT WE'VE ALREADY SEEN AT LEAST TWO DOZEN TIMES!!!!

Even More Leaguer Simpsons Madness

The League's own JAL Simpsonified



For those of you who have never seen JAL, this is eerily accurate.

iPhone

Dear Mr. Jobs,

When I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

Today I got my hands on an iPhone. You know, Steve (can I call you Steve?), I was more than a little skeptical about the iPhone.

Now, you know... if you want to send me one...

Anyway, let's just say that I'll be your spokesmonkey for quite a while if one were to find it's way into my mailbox.

Your admiring friend,

The League

Your League in Springfield

Your Simpsons League


Your Simpsons Jamie



Make your own, Leaguers! If you do, send 'em in.

Hey, Leaguers.

It's been a fun weekend. Yesterday we finally used the Element for the task which I had in mind when I picked it out. You can take the back seats out of the Element, so I took one out for more space. We loaded up the dogs (including Cassidy), and Jason, Jamie and I headed to the Barton Springs spill-over.

I admit, I'm a total worry wart about the dogs, so I think I spent the whole time trying to corral my dogs, who aren't that used to water and who tend to spaz out when other dogs are around. I am sure the other folks were tired of my constant calling to all of the three dogs, so I feel a bit like a heel. I feel even worse because I think my insistence that we leave (because Lucy kept pestering a tiny dog) interrupted Jason talking to some cute girl who was hanging out with her dog. That's me. The League: Scene Killer.

Now here's the other pro-dog thing about the Element: rubber floors. The floors are still dirty, but all I need to do is get a wet rag and clean them up. It's kind of cool.

Or would be. I hadn't initially put on my suit, so I went back to the car to put it on. Lucy jumped over a four foot wall and followed me back to the car. It was both heart warming and a bit weird to see my girl abandon the water and fun just to help me change pants. Anyhow, dripping wet she jumped in the car and shook herself dry.

Let us hope the talk about the sturdy material of the seats was not just a sales pitch.

Saturday night we went to see "Sicko" with Carla and David. We also had a nice dinner at Chinatown. Always a good evening with CB and David.

I had spent some time writing up a bunch about Sicko, but I also don't feel like moderating a comments section which would surely go into meltdown. Suffice it to say, with our personal situation, I am well aware of the issues in the film and I have some personal feelings wrapped up in the topic I'd rather not get into.

I've also come to peace with Michael Moore as a filmmaker. Once you know what to look for, you know...?

Sunday was mostly chores, some comic blogging, lawn mowing, and then Jason and Reed came by for a pizza and some Wii.

Jamie smoked me in bowling, but I am the grand champion of boxing.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

GREATEST MUSICAL MOMENT IN LAST FIFTEEN YEARS

thanks to Randy for the link

I Heart Robocop

I do.

I saw Robocop for the first time during one of our annual family vacation trips to Upper Michigan. Mom was cool enough to take us to the theater (1 screen, of course) in Ispheming, Michigan. To this day I recall that one of the trailers they showed prior to the movie was for a re-release of Disney's "Snow White". And then they showed one of the most intensely violent movies I had seen in my young life.

The movie has aged a little oddly. Some of the fashions thought no further than 1988. A good chunk of the technology barely surpasses 1990. But the movie's wink-and-a-nod look at corporate control of public trusts and the interstitial TV bits feel a little bit on the nose... Especially the Yamaha artificial heart commercial which seemed absurd in 1987, but now...

I also dig the story about Murphy recovering himself despite what's been done to him by crooks, OCP R&D, and what befalls him when he tries to move beyond his programming.


Robocop shoots a ton of people in this movie

The action sequences were cool if not a bit pre-dated by Terminator's equally nuts robot stop-motion and crazy gunplay sequences. The villains were some seriously evil, evil dudes, played by guys who would go on to star as Eric's dad on "That 70's Show" and another guy who wound up as a doctor on ER for a while (Jamie informs me his character lost an arm to a helicopter. I'm not clear on the specifics.) Plus, a young Miguel Ferrer, one of my favorite guys in any TV show or movie.


Dead or alive, you're going with Robocop

Peter Weller rocks as Robocop/ Murphy, and manages to make the transition from man to machine and back again in a way a lesser actor might have stumbled. And, darn it, why doesn't Nancy (Officer Anne Lewis) Allen get more parts? The last time I saw her was in "Out of Sight", I think, playing a supporting part. (And speaking of Allen's... why don't we see more Karen Allen? I know she isn't in Robocop, but I like Karen Allen, too).

Plus, you know, ED-209. Oh yes, ED-209.


You have 20 seconds to agree that ED-209 is totally awesome

Like many Verhoeven movies, Robocop is exceedingly violent. Not Wild Bunch violent, but its got its moments. So if you've just seen the movie once, and all you remember is a lot of squibs bursting open... I suggest you check the movie out again and note that there's a very sci-fi but kind of sad story about a dead cop, corporate corruption and a world slowly going nuts beneath the heaped upon layers of smoke and bullets.

Verhoeven also directed Total Recall, another sci-fi action flick/ satire that ALSO becomes more enjoyable on multiple viewings (and, to a lesser extent, Starship Troopers. A movie which always makes me cackle.). Total Recall also throws in a heaping dose of Arnie, so it's just a big stew of the stuff I loved in the late 80's.

Anyhow, I salute you, Robocop! Your sequels and TV shows got steadily goofier, but the first movie is still a good movie to stumble upon on a Friday night.

I dunno. I just really like Robocop. I thought I'd share.

Still, it is no R.O.T.O.R.