Title. No, Can't Think of One. Is a Title Really Necessary?
Now that Shaolin Soccer is being shown in select cinemas in the States, I can urge you to avoid seeing it... at an American cinema, that is. As reported earlier, the version distributed in the States has been severely butchered by Miramax. Get the original version on DVD whilst you can. It's in Cantonese with English subtitles, and although the translation is loose in places, it may be the only way to see the film in its entirety here. I bought two copies from Edaymovie.com. The price was low, the shipping was fast, and I couldn't be happier. Once Shaolin Soccer hits the shelves of your average purveyor of DVDs, it will probably be the Miramax version, and the original might be scarce.
For months my mother has been dropping hints that she would like the Lord of the Rings RISK board game, so I gave her one for Mother's Day today. She was pleased. We haven't played it yet, but I'm sure we will soon. She wanted to see the Jackie Chan movie The Medallion, so we rented and watched that today. Not good. Not good at all. Claire Forlani is pleasant to behold, but that movie is destined to be forgotten by all who see it. What else did we do for Mother's Day weekend? Och, aye... I grilled for the family on Saturday and Sunday. The store where I normally shop for groceries was sold out of Hebrew National Kosher Beef Franks (Oy!), so I had to buy another brand on Saturday, but on Sunday I tried another store where I found them in abundance, so I was able to conduct a personal taste test of the two brands on our second day of grilling. The test was inconclusive because I had opted to add Tony Packo's Hot Dog Sauce to both, which fairly concealed the flavor of the hot dogs themselves. Next time I'll limit the toppings to mustard.
I haven't been to Tony Packo's in Toledo in years. I've had the urge to go back and hear some live Dixieland jazz, but my brother who has been there recently told me that the place has changed. The old Toledo landmark has lost its charm, its atmosphere, and its Dixieland jazz band, and now it's like every other chain restaurant in the country. Very sad. I waited too long, and now it is gone. Another casualty to twisted corporate aspirations of greed.
Lest I dwell too long on such a dreary subject, let me change it. Joan of Arcadia was not bad again, which reassures me that the very poorly written episode of several weeks ago was a fluke. That's good, because it has my interest and it's a show that deserves to succeed.
Two updates in one month! Could this be a sign? We shall see...
I'll keep posting if you keep reading. Be seeing you... :-?
