Favored Hero Day

Sharing a Laugh with Pee Wee

There was a bump in the road of the FBR’s abandonment of diaper wearing on Monday, much to Wingman’s consternation. I’d like to think it was a form of protest for being denied the company of her grandparents but in reality just a very smart 22-month old testing her boundaries. She was back on track yesterday and even proudly told us about her impeding dinner dish where she expertly pronounced the word, casserole, in possibly the most charming manner ever heard.

Praying to the Bubble God at Story Time

A friend sent me the following info on the iconic song from the 1960s which I always thought was Inda-Gadda-Da-Vida. Since it was the 1960s with the psychedelic drug scene emerging from the shadows I always assumed it was some sort of drug allusion. The true story (see below), captured by an inquisitive reporter interviewing Iron Butterfly members makes more sense and is weirdly a lot more comforting:

While I had the band's ear, I couldn't pass up the chance to get the real story behind the origins of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." I'd heard rumors about the song being based on an LSD hallucination or Hindu prayer. To my disappointment, it was nothing quite so dramatic. Evidently, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is what "In the Garden of Eden" sounds like after consuming a gallon of cheap red wine. After hearing then-lead singer Doug Ingle slur the words, Bushy thought it was catchy and wrote it down that way, and rock's first heavy-metal classic was born in 1968.

I’ve written before about my devotion to the books penned by Vince Flynn featuring Mitch Rapp so I was eagerly awaiting the release of American Assassin which was date night’s fare last evening. The movie had a long pull with me after devouring all of Flynn’s excellent books featuring the redoubtable Mr. Rapp. I was concerned with the casting of Dylan O’Brien as Rapp because literary Rapp is all about barely controlled rage and imminent menace while O’Brien is one of today’s metrosexual types. I gave the movie a chance because if I can accept (grudgingly) Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, well enough said. To his credit O’Brien does a credible job with Rapp although I would like to have seen him more dangerous. Rapp’s fights are never fair or balanced in the books. Michael Keaton totally nails the role of lethal curmudgeon Stan Hurley. The rest of the cast is likewise very good especially Sanaa Latham and Shiva Negar – much more than just pretty faces. My biggest issue was the musical score which was unnecessarily intrusive; when you notice that as a movie goer – someone over did it. As with any movie the events from the book have to be telescoped inwards to fit within 2 hours. I thought they could have done a more effective job with Rapp’s training under Hurley but that’s a minor quibble. While nowhere near as good as the books (as with most films) this was a crackling good spy thriller with an exciting climatic, if too fair, fight. Mitch is never fair to a soon to be deceased opponent.

The Bad Cinema project count rises to #11 out of 100 with Kong Island. This time we have an Italian film dubbed into deplorability. No Kong, No Island – just fabulously bad cinema.