Without the Cat This Time

I wrote earlier about failing to see the new Exorcist movie with my son over the past weekend. I rectified that failure today as I attempted to reunite with the two people I saw the original with back in 1973. That remains the single scariest movie experience I’ve ever had. That was capped later that evening when I was nervously trying to fall asleep when the family cat perched above my bed, looking down on me with green eyes glowing; just as Linda Blair had for most the original movie. That cat earned her airborne status immediately that night. I saw the movie with Great Aunt and Keene Friend. The latter was unavailable today but Great Aunt bravely made her way north to join me. It was a great afternoon hanging with my sister, review below. Even though no cat was present, at least in my house, Great Aunt received a scare when she got home. She found a guy passed out on her front lawn who leaped to his feet and started practicing karate moves when she woke him up. Emergency personnel arrived quickly and took charge of the idiot. What is it about these movies?!

Great Aunt and I Today at the Movies

One of the great family mysteries has finally been solved, after two long years. Every year my Favorite Panamanian removes glass shelves from a living room curio that houses a bunch of fragile statues. She does this so she can place her large Mary statue inside while the granddaughters are careening around the house over the holidays. For Christmas 2021 the glass shelves were removed and hidden away to protect them from the same careening and, well, my proclivity to break things made of glass (the old brute force and ignorance tendency). Those shelves were not seen again until this morning. When we couldn’t remember where they were, my wife immediately accused me of breaking them and then being rightfully afraid of telling her.

The Found Shelves

The Curio They Were Missing From

At least in this instance I could profess my heartfelt innocence but I’ve lived under that suspicion ever since. I would periodically search the house without luck as the missing shelves were a constant reminder in the living room. This morning my wife was looking for a neighbor’s book she had borrowed and opened the large credenza under the master bedroom television and there were the shelves. I always assumed the drawers were too small to have the shelves but there you go. Vindicated at last. I did not receive an apology for the two years’ worth of probation I served.

The Exorcist Believer attempts to breath new “life” into the iconic 1973 film world that I still consider the scariest cinematic experience of my life. Predictably, it fails to be as scary, although it certainly has its moments. We get two possessed teenaged girls this time who return from a three-day romp in the underworld fully possessed. There was great texture to the movie but it lacked the suspense and build up of tension the original was steeped in. They bring back a couple of the actors from the 1973 film to connect with which was really interesting. In typical “meta-fashion” they had to make the exorcism a more inclusive affair trying to include as many faiths as possible, only missing a druid and an African witch doctor, but the kitchen was only so big. I was nervous going in but I didn’t have to close my eyes once. It shows how good/scary that earlier film was. I still enjoyed it because it was so well done, but, again, nowhere near as scary. But, again, what is?

Four movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers: GI Joe, Retaliation, embarrassing sometimes but still great action and that red dress; Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Slander, one of greatest cinema heroes ever; The Girl in the Spider’s Web, a new Lisbeth, every bit as dangerous, great movie, and Girls Trip, forgot how fall down funny this was, Tiffany Hadish is an absolute riot.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course